Families and Children for Empowerment and Development

Families and Children for Empowerment and Development Foundation, Inc. (FCED) is a non – stock, non – profit service foundation, organized in 1987 that brings together government and non – government organizations and community leaders in depressed areas in Manila. It facilitates leadership development, empowerment, organizational development and social services among street children, urban poor children and their families in identified urban poor areas of Districts V and VI (Paco and Pandacan) Manila.

History

In 1987, a group of like-minded professionals with diverse social development background decided to band together to help address the growing problem of marginalized families in their adverse condition, special focus was on the children who have started to proliferate in the streets of Manila. A feeling of urgency spurred to the group to organize under the name Integrated Social Services Enhancement Center (ISSEC). It started assisting some urban poor groups. Along the way, the organizers saw the need for a better program of social services, more than what the Center was then offering in order to better address the problem. The group started to lay down the groundwork for an organization to address core issues and problems of the marginalization as well as lay down the foundation for a stable and sustainable social development organization. Finally in 1992, the Families and Children for Empowerment and Development Foundation, Inc. (FCED) was officially incorporated and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a non-stock, non-profit service foundation, effectively replacing ISSEC. FCED decided to focus its assistance to street children and urban poor children and their families in 13 low income Barangays of District V and VI in Paco and Pandacan, in the city of Manila.As a social development organization, FCED envisions communities that are nurturing and empowering. To achieve these, it motivates and facilitates the development of self-managing communities that will address their own needs and concerns. It gives special focus on children to ensure that they enjoy the fullness of life and their rights as children. With its track record, FCED has become a trusted partner. It continues to attract more adherents to its vision, from local to foreign organizations and institutions and individuals.

Mision, Vision, and Goals

MISSION:

• Empower street children and urban poor children and their families to develop & manage health, education, livelihood & protection programs and services in their respective barangays.

• Provide opportunities for children, youth, and parents on value clarification & education with particular emphasis on spiritual values and human rights/ or the rights of a child.

• Motivate & facilitate the development of self – managing community structures & people’s organizations such as the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC) & association of parents, children, youth and micro – finance groups.

• Provide opportunities for the education, skills training & increased income of street children, youth, and their families.

VISION:

= Every child is afforded a fullness of life, enjoys the rights of a child. Every child has a loving & caring relationship with a family.

= Every child becomes a participating & productive member of society.

= Every family is empowered to have responsible parents, able to manage its endeavors, to raise its productive level & to meet the needs of its members especially the children.

= Every community/barangay has a set of viable, effective community structures that are initiating, implementing & evaluating community programs & projects & to meet the basic needs of children and their families.

GOALS:

- To provide the twelve (12) identified depressed barangays of Paco & Pandacan a set of viable effective community structures (e.g. the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children) that are initiating, implementing & evaluating community programs & projects to meet needs of street children & their families.

- To assist resident families in Paco – Pandacan urban poor areas & their children in order to manage child rights based programs and services related to child survival, development, protection & participation.

- To protect at least 85% of the participating street & urban poor children against all forms of abuse and exploitation, hazards & conditions prejudicial to the physical, mental, emotional, social & moral participation.

- To prevent the proliferation of street children in cooperation with the members of the community.

- To assist the marginalized participating families in meeting their basic needs of food, clothing & basic education for the school age children.

- To provide a venue for the participating families to manifest attitudes that upholds the dignity of personhood & respect the rights of women & children.

Programs and Services

FCED has been working side – by – side with leaders of various assisted communities in a selected urban poor areas for the past decades in empowering the whole community, as well as its members, in establish a more sustainable living through the following programs and services below:

A.) COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONThe systematic, planned and liberating change of process of transforming a complacent, deprived, malfunctioning powerless, fearful and needy Community into Organized, conscious, empowered, self – reliant, just and humane social organization.

Group work and capacity building interventions are offered to the following:

1. Children and Youth Groups

2. Parents Organizations

3. Fathers Organization

4. Barangay Council for the Protection of the Children

5. Micro – Finance, Self – Help Groups

B.) LIVELIHOOD/MICRO – FINANCEThis includes the creation of opportunities for people to generate jobs and or augment income. Through the Micro – Finance Program clients saves and have access to funds that enable them to start micro – enterprises.

C.) HEALTH SERVICESThis includes nutrition, environmental sanitation and monitoring of health status of children and their parents, the training of Junior Health Workers.

D.) EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCEThis involves giving educational support to selected children so they can acquire basic formal and non – formal education through the Alternative Learning System on Basic Education of the Department of Education (DepEd). This support will prevent children from working on the streets and learning appropriate Filipino values.

E.) ADVOCACY AND PROTECTION PROGRAMThis includes motivating participation of children and the communities in building awareness and action for children’s rights, development and protection.

F.) LINKAGES AND NETWORKINGThis involves partnership and collaboration with other organizations such as the Manila Network for the Welfare of Children in Districts V and VI to effectively implement programs and services.

FCED's Major Partners

1. Christian Children's Fund (CCF)

2. CORDAID Netherlands

3. Gould Trust

4. Consuelo Foundation, Inc. (CFI)

5. Department of Interior and Local Government

6. Manila Department of Social Welfare (MDSW)

7. INAM Philippines

8. CARITAS - Manila

9. Hands-On Manila

10. Volunteer Services Overseas (VSO)

11. Barangay Councils

12. Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez Institute of Science and Tecnology (EARIST)

13. Western Police District (WPD)

14. De La Salle University (DLSU)

15. Philippine Normal University (PNU)

16. ERDA Technical School

17. Pru Life UK

18. Food for Hungry Minds

19. Couples for Christ (CFC)

20. Visayan Forum

21. Sun for All Children

22. One World IT

23. ACER Philippines

FCED's Affiliates

Childhope Asia Philippines

is an international, non-profit, non-political, non-sectarian organization whose principal purpose is to advocate for the cause of street children throughout the world. It works toward the liberation of the child from the suffering caused by working and living on the street.

• Establish contacts and facilitate networking and linkages among individuals, organizations, and agencies, both non-government and government, concerned with street children in the Philippines and throughout the Asian Region;

• Facilitate advocacy, social mobilization, operational and action research, training, technical assistance, and program development activities at the national and regional levels.

• Maintain a databank of information on street children and exploited children (research studies, programs and services, resource groups, and individuals).

Childhope Asia Philippines operates in more than 20 locations all over Metro Manila and assists around 2,000 street children who work and live on the streets every year.

Tahanan Sta. Luisa Welcome Shelter

The Center's goal is to rehabilitate, ensure and sustain the integration of young street girls below 18 years, and girls who have been sexually abused or prostituted with their families, if feasible, and to society in general.