Ministries with Children & Mothers of Displaced Indigent Families
Kidapawan & Makilala Villages in the Philippines

UMCOR Advance Story of the Month, November 2001

Lourdes Dapan, who lives in the village of Kidapawan in the Philippines, looks much older than her age of 23 years. She is already a mother of four, her children ranging from one to seven years old. Looking emaciated and pale, she shyly approached one of the project staff to ask if she could join the mothers and children's group meeting at the Spottswood Methodist Center. She brought two of her younger children with her, both were sickly looking with signs of extreme malnutrition: bloated bellies and skeletal extremities covered with skin lesions.

Lourdes' husband, Mario, had been forced to become a member of a communist group inciting rebellion in the rural areas. Lourdes did not know where he was or if he was alive. Mario was not happy to be separated from his family. He ran away and surrendered to the government authorities. They told him he would have to relocate since he would not be safe in his former home. Lourdes and Mario were faced with the problem of looking for shelter in a new village and finding work to provide for the needs of the family. They built their hut with bamboo and coconut fronds. Mario works at odd jobs in the neighborhood, and Lourdes does laundry for other families in addition to her household chores and raising the children. Their combined earnings barely meet the family's basic needs.

Lourdes joined the program at Spottswood Methodist Center where she was introduced to the Family Planning program and attended lectures on hygiene, sanitation, nutrition, and basic first aid. What she has learned has helped Lourdes and Mario improve their family's health and given them the initiative to start a vegetable garden. The Center provided regular nutritious meals and medical supplements and the health of Lourdes and her children improved enormously. The children lost their bloated bellies, their skin lesions gradually cleared, and muscles built along their bones. They found spiritual nurture through Bible studies and devotionals, and the entire family has joined the nearby Evangelical Church.

Through the program for displaced mothers and children, Lourdes is discovering her potential as a woman and has grown in her role within the family and community. Her newly found self-esteem has changed her personality and attitude-- she now exudes joy and confidence as she shares her experiences with the project. She admits there is still hardship ahead, but her fears and doubts have been eased, and she says with conviction: "Five years ago family living was a curse, now it is a God-sent blessing."

The Ministries with Children and Mothers of Displaced Indigent Families program provides indigent and displaced mothers and children with food; medical supplies; pre-school programs; instruction in primary health care, hygiene, family planning, and gardening; and spiritual guidance. The goal is to alleviate poverty by providing women with resources, knowledge, skills, and self-confidence.

How to Participate in This Ministry

You may join in this ministry by giving to UMCOR Advance #240580-2, "Ministries with Children and Mothers of Displaced Indigent Families," Kidapawan and Makilala villages in the Philippines. We encourage you to give your gift through any local United Methodist Church. Gifts may also be sent directly to UMCOR, 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115. To make a credit card donation, call 800-554-8583.

Photo Left: Participants in the "Ministries with Children and Mothers of Displaced Indigent Families" program. The woman wearing glasses holding the box in the center of the group is Dr. Andrea Agbisit, project coordinator. The woman wearing glasses standing in the back row on the right is Mrs. Vina Ladia, program assistant.

Photo Top: Participants in the "Ministries with Children and Mothers of Displaced Indigent Families" program.

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