PHILLIPINES
Fresh Hope for Families Philippines (FHFP) is a Christian non-profit organisation and was established in 2008 to transform the lives of abused and orphaned female children and marginalised families in Angeles City, Philippines. As a partner of The Freedom Project, FHFP tackles issues like poverty, abuse, and exploitation, aiming to break the cycle of poverty and empower individuals to lead responsible, Christ-centered lives, fostering healthy survivors and supportive community partners. FHFP provides a range of support services, including safe haven rehabilitation, education and vocational training, social enterprise opportunities, transitional housing, college sponsorship, and early childhood education.
Rehab program
Our Phillipines project offers a safe haven for girls referred by government departments that provides a holistic program that includes basic needs, health care and education, psychological and legal support, character and spiritual formation, and independent living skill sets for victims of abuse. The monthly cost per child is roughly $325.
Education and vocational program
The Education program ensures that our residents are provided with opportunities to learn from grade school to college as part of their holistic development. We have also extended this program to children from other communities who do not have the means to go to college.
Hands of Hope Asia
FHFP has built a social enterprise wing to economically empower the residents. Hands of Hope Asia provides an opportunity for the girls to explore their craft while learning how to be economically competent.
Esther House
FHFP has developed a partnership to provide a safe environment to abused and trafficked survivors, and women at risk through the transition house. Residents are provided with complete care and support to empower and help them be efficient and productive citizens in the future.
College Sponsorship
FHFP makes college education within reach for the residents, previous clients, and the youth from the community through a College Sponsorship Program. FHFP helps them pursue their dreams, and encourages them to learn, transform, and enrich themselves through education.
Village Read-Write Program
FHFP provides the poorest of the poor in remote areas, access to free kindergarten education through the Read-Write Program. This program is strongly aligned with the local village churches and pastors for spiritual development and transformation.
Issues we are tackling in this project
Poverty:
Abandoned and neglected children are the most vicious symptom of a country wrought with poverty, without enough money or resources to satisfy their nutritional requirements, and other basic needs like shelter, clothing, and medicine. With little to no parental care, they fend for themselves, making them extremely vulnerable to abuse, trafficking, hazardous labor, and illegal activity. In 2009, 16 out of 100 children in the Philippines lived below the food poverty line.
Abuse:
Children from poor households are very susceptible to abuse, both sexual and physical. 13 out of 100 Filipino children have experienced sexual abuse at home; while 30 out of 100 Filipino children have suffered severe forms of physical abuse such as slapping, kicking, smothering, tying, drowning, and burning. 4.6% of these suffered harm so severely that they required hospitalization.
EXPLOITATION:
Sexual exploitation of children is a massive issue, especially where the masses are suffering from poverty. It includes the production, access, and distribution of child pornography; most commonly sold by the child's family for profit through videos, pictures, and live streaming sessions. The burden of poverty is so big that some families even turn to prostitution. 100,000 Filipino children are involved in prostitution yearly.