I went to see Mirla Olores, the head of the Special Education division of the Department of Education, yesterday. She was kind enough to share what they have been busy with and to give me a general idea what they are planning to do in the coming year. Basically they are working on curriculum, training for teachers, and advocacy or informing the community/families about children with special needs so that they can support them and get the necessary services.
Also learned that the Special Education division has been around for more than a hundred years. Wow.
This is a link to the DepEd SPED site - it hasn't been updated but you can get a general idea of the vision, philosophy, goals and objectives and functions of the SPED division.
Right after that visit I went straight to the offices of the Virlanie Foundation, Inc. in Makati. I wanted to take pictures when we went to their different houses (and they said it was okay) but somehow felt uncomfortable about doing so. Instead, I am relying on pics and a video from their multiply and Facebook accounts and posting them here. Thanks Lyn Garcia (from HR) for taking the time to take me around.
Virlanie has various homes depending on the child's age and needs. There are also homes for unwed mothers and their babies, for juvenile delinquents and a home for abused children. Click on the links below to find out more.
The man in the pictures, if I am not mistaken, is Dominique Le May (?) who started it all 18 years ago. It is amazing how much he has accomplished in such short a time. I was also very touched, very impressed by the foreign volunteers they had there who were speaking in Tagalog, no less.
In awe of the people who work there and their dedication. Heartbreaking to see the children, especially the young ones.
The man in the pictures, if I am not mistaken, is Dominique Le May (?) who started it all 18 years ago. It is amazing how much he has accomplished in such short a time. I was also very touched, very impressed by the foreign volunteers they had there who were speaking in Tagalog, no less.
In awe of the people who work there and their dedication. Heartbreaking to see the children, especially the young ones.
Bambi, heartbreaking indeed :-( The kids are right about Bianca's and Mateo's age, but it's heart wrenching that they do not have the same opportunities. I should bring my kids there one of these days maybe to share school supplies or something.
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