Volunteering in the Philippines

The children on the street are the biggest concern here in the Philippines; on Christmas time we give food and cheers to some of these children;

i would like to know if there is some organization that do Volunteering in Philippines?

The Red Cross, Rotary International is everywhere, and probably the Lions club, and then possibly a church. Most of the people in Rotary and Lions club will speak good English, as they generally come from successful backgrounds.  These groups are also a great way to met new people.

The reason I would approach one of these is that they are well organised, and insure that volunteers do not do a job for free which otherwise a Philippine would get paid work for.

There are government disability and old age centres in the Philippines, most of the residents will not speak English, and in some case only there local dialect, not Tagalog. These place are funded to a only small degree from the government, and I am sure would also be happy to have some one help with cleaning and washing of patients, or just taking them for a walk up the street.  Yep volunteering is about giving and not receiving.

Short term volunteering is hard to come across, and going into a long term situation needs long term commitment from you, other wise all that happens is that people get hopes up and then these hopes are dashed.  I would suggest that when you approach a group that you tell them: how many hours a week you want to be involved, and how long you will stay there.  Be upfront and no one gets upset.

If you have volunteered before you will know that there are politics in every group of volunteers so be careful not to upset other volunteers.

Do them have some website? do you know them website?

Simply web search for Red Cross (Philippines) and for Rotary, and Lions Club

I am a Jehovah's Witness but I struggled to learn the local language to attend the religious meetings in cebuano. But I found a group for deaf Jehovah's Witnesses using american sign language and english writing. So I attend there now, learning to sign, and I am actually out every weekend, teaching illiterate deaf people here in southern Mindanao. It's very interesting and I get around a lot.

I have been here for 12 years and the first four was getting around the different Islands, After settling in Cebu I joined a Non Government Organization and got involved with a medical mission from the US and Australia "Operation Restore Hope". There mission is to do surgeries for the under privileged children with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palates. The mission provides room and board for the duration. The problem facing the mission is transportation, some of these people can't afford to get themselves to the hospital, they are so poor.
What I like about the mission is life changing. Not a bandaid. There are many feeding programs that feed the poor once then they are again hungry the next day.
There is a need for a medical mission to address the goiter problem amongst the poor.

Oh yes u are correct , that is so sad to see the kids on the streets.  I couldnt eat at McDonalds  till i went back to the counter and bought 10 sandwiches then took them outside to the kids..   
What is as bad is there are grown ups who force many of these kids to beg for money that they turn over to the adults. Some kids are actually kidnapped kids.   Law and govt should do much more to stop human  slavery in the Philippines,.
Mike

Here is my professional advise, based on experience and prior work in NGOs: the best volunteering work to do in the Philippines is to leave them alone--don't get involved; no charity; no donations; no sponsorship; keep hands off--this is the only way and hope Filipinos have to learn how to stand on their own feet, fix their internal problems and clean their systems. Any volunteering or charity work, as I've seen, merely feed the full and only keep the poor and unfortunates quiet and dependents on the rich to take care of them. Don't get tempted with what you see...get tempted to see desirable long term outcomes.

@sam40  I think you have been meeting the wrong people. It is true that we should not just give the Filipinos everything they need. But many Filipinos DO need someone to help them learn how to get along better.

Yes, danielkoepf. So, so many are innocent people who need sincere help and consideration to their situations. The question is: What can we do? If we really want to help, let us not just volunteer/donate today and let them continue to suffer tomorrow or the day after. Let us be real and honest to ourselves and to them, and instead of coming to the Philippines to volunteer/donate to feel better about our own low-esteemed selves, to receive the lovely applause and temporary smiles from the so-sweet-poor children, or to recruit members to 'our churches' and secure 'missionary funds', let us begin with (1) stopping pouring in our materialistic and delusional ideas about how they should live their lives, and (2) getting our governments and organizations to stop endorsing a corrupt government and declare them what they really are: corrupt and violators of their people's basic human and civil rights. Now we can start helping. Other than that, leave them alone so maybe they can figure it out themselves. I hope this helps.

There is nothing more urgent than the pitiful state of the animal population, especially cats and dogs in the poverty stricken areas of the Philippines. Most people in these places can hardly feed themselves, much less the animals that we all love as human beings. Would you rather have cats, or rats? Cats are invaluable to the community, yet most people see them as pests. Dogs again are incredibly loyal and valuable, but the poorest of the poor, poverty stricken population love to have dogs, and use them extensively as early warning systems. Yet, they treat them very poorly, many dogs have mange, from eating fish and getting the fish oil on their coats. They scratch themselves raw, and nobody wants to touch these dogs after they have been stricken. There is a huge need for animal rescue and veterinarians. If you can find a good group of people who care for unwanted and abandoned pets, go for it. There is one young lady who has done just that. She cares a lot about the animals in the Philippines. http://www.philanimalrescue.org/      The Philippine Animal Rescue Team (PART) is a SEC registered, non-profit, non-government, NO-KILL animal rescue organization founded and run by a dedicated group of volunteers committed to changing the way animals are viewed and treated, not only in the Philippines, but around the world.

We rely on the kindness and generosity of our members and animal lovers everywhere to help us care for sick and injured animals and to give them a second chance in life to be happy, healthy, and well-loved.

Dear author, I read all coments on the subject. Children and dissable come first. Beingin Philipines for a year I realized that is not only money that is needed as donations but is education and guidamce on changing mindsets. Instead of just giving money and food what we could do is reach as many filipinos as possible and educate them in changing from asking for charity and feeling they dont have any hope to help them start creating income for themselves. At the moment im involved with a large dissabled group on a project to create small business ventures and create income rather than waitimg to be employed if ever by a large coorporation as the law needs to.

Working with children is very easy to do here in the Philippines unlike our home countries where even the scouts/guides organisations are dwindling and qualifications are needed. We found a small Tutorial group in Taal  where we spent a year or so joining with there activities and had some fun. Easy enough o get into since these groups extend the main school activities and improve the kids learning with homework etc, ...fee paying of course. However we taught them board games, darts with maths connotations and got them singing "Londons burning" and other rugby songs.
A couple of Australians we met on the coast we joined with in their "Feeding the childern" program and almost a hundred infants we educated in the couples garden on the sea shore next to the shanty houses. Lovely kids but the situations are bad and you dip into your own pockets many times......ie a thousand pesos to bury a dead auntie because the neighbours are complaining about the smell!!! 
Big families where the husbands play cards and drink what little money they earn whilst the family stare. Stepfathers who rape the eldest girl when she menstruates and expect to be let off because without his financial help the family starve. Very sad but these things are all around you if you want to get involved. Excellent parties and seeing the happy expressions on the kids faces is a joy to behold. We paid a group to bag up the rubbish on the beach and then we'd burn it at the weekend, ....stopped playing chess when I gto beat by a little 8 year old haha.

As much as I agree that children needs help in this country, local animal shelter also needs all the help that they can get.
Few of the known Animal Rescue Groups are PAWS (Philippine Animal Welfare Society), PART (Philippine Animal Rescue Team) and CARA (Compassion and Responsibility for Animals)
You may search all information thru their website.
I haven't volunteer as the only available time I have is Sundays but I do give donations every month. Its worth every penny you give to see the changes on the animals they rescue.

There is Gawad Kalinga, Habitat for Humanity, Red Cross, i love visiting Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in Tayuman Manila.

Read your post with interest.I am at Lapu Lapu and have heard of the organization you mentioned. DO you know whether they have a branch in Lapu Lapu or not? Thank you

My wife is volunteering & teaching sewing skills to a group of women at a Livelihood Project at Little Children of the Philippnes (LCP). This NGO is unfortunately only operating in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. It has been going 25 years based out of the USA.

LCP supports & helps hundreds of people in the community, is exceptionally well run and administered and we have no hesitation recommending anyone to get involved in some way with LCP. Even if you do not live near Dumaguete you can still get involved & contribute. Their web site and FBook page should answer most questions.

http://www.littlechildren.orghttps://www.facebook.com/littlechildren … page_panel

A wonderful organisation!

Thank you for your prompt reply Trevlyn. I will look up the details on their web site.

Financial understanding and simple budget are in great need.  You can see if the local city has a volunteer network and start a program of interest to you. Also if you are religious there are Christian academies and colleges that always need fundraising expertise.

Check out Ed Win or True Manila  on Facebook. Once a street kid himself now doing fantastic work in Manila. All the good work goes directly to feeding kids and building houses and the money does not get lost in administration like bigger organisations.

Thank you Stevedra.I will follow up on that.

Hi my name is Rodney Hollingworth
And I would like to find out more about volunteering in the Philippines
My email
Is
++++
I am wanting to go and live there also

Hi Rodney...My previous message is copied below. Hope it is of some help.  Also perhaps you can research Dumaguete as a destination to live.

"My wife is volunteering & teaching sewing skills to a group of women at a Livelihood Project at Little Children of the Philippnes (LCP). This NGO is unfortunately only operating in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. It has been going 25 years based out of the USA.

LCP supports & helps hundreds of people in the community, is exceptionally well run and administered and we have no hesitation recommending anyone to get involved in some way with LCP. Even if you do not live near Dumaguete you can still get involved & contribute. Their web site and FBook page should answer most questions.

http://www.littlechildren.org
*

A wonderful organisation!"

Following such a course of isolationalism can only lead to sad, lonely life. Whether in Europe, the US, Japan or the Zphilippines we can all lend each other a helping hand.

When I was in the Philippines, I volunteered at

1. He Cares Foundation

Every Saturdays, the Foundation organizes a feeding program for around 400 kids from poor families in Quezon City. In which, they use a van to pick up children, bring them to the Foundation, help them to take a bath, have a nail cut and by 9am, the program is started. Children sit on long chairs look like a classroom. Then they pray and watch some movies, attend some games and are taught something in Tagalog which I didn't understand.

What can you do there: help to cook, prepare and serve the food.

Website: http://www.hecaresfoundation.com/


Address: No. 9, Mines Street, Quezon city


2. Mother Therese missionary of charity

You can help to feed the children there. When I was there, Only 5 children are normal, they can feed themselves, 48 children are mentality disabled.

Address: no.1030 Tayuman street

Hi does the foundation have any roots in Davao?
Dinky

Thank you, that is extremely helpful, but regrettably, I live in Cebu. have you any contacts out this way?

One aspect of living in the Philippines is that its not easy to have a "meaningful" conversation with the locals because they will understand your talking but very shy to respond.

This is true even with good English speaking and writing on the internet Filipinos. As a foreigner we can be isolated most times. This is something that your adapt to living here and you need to be able to entertain yourself.........

I've joined several groups of people who are educated and English speakers but find myself "on my own" and accept that the crowd will speak in Tagalog...naturally of course.

Peter,
Thats very true what you said about being an expat, sometimes its like being in a zoo.I think you have to find which groups you fell comfortable in and it does take time.
Dinky

There is suffering in the world, if not in Philippines then in other parts of the world, Hence the only solution to overcome this is SYSTEMIC CHANGE. The saying feed a man today and he would go hungry tomorrow, but teach him how to fish and he would never go hungry is something to look into. The solution is not just to feed the poor and hungry but also empower them to help themselves and that is the true spirit of volunteering.

I have been moved by the Life and works of St. Vincent de Paul who is gave us the true meaning of what volunteering entails, he came down from his high horse, lived with the poor, fed them, treated their sick, clothed them and cared for the abandoned and empowered the strong to work so let us use his strategy today to help.

I belong to an organization in my School called Vincentian Students  & Alumni Volunteers (VSAV) which is under the INTERGRATED COMMUNITY EXTENSION SERVICE (ICES) Adamson University. We provide immediate response to crisis and also undergo plenty of medical missions or "Immersions" as we like to call it and would love for more volunteers if anyone is interested.

I've been rescuing dogs and cats in my neighborhood, but can't afford to take care of my increasingly large brood of animals. All of them need food, medicine and regular bathing. How can I get donations here in the Philippines to help me deal with this situation. I also could use some help. There are too many animals here that are going hungry, diseased and ignored. Please help.........

Or if there is a possibility to be in an organization educating children ( I know of 2 french NGOs teaching street children to obtain a trade, specifically, to be a baker or woodworker), it is the best assistance we can give.

thanks for your effort, brod.... Jah is happy with you... keep it up...when you come to Luzon, drop by our congregation here in Darangan, Binangonan, Rizal