Betlehem Day Care Center Case Study

Case Literature July 30, 2011 EM 4008 : School Strategic Management GREGORIO CYRUS R. ELEJORDE FLORDELIZA C. NAVIDAD Professor Masterand Case Study l. Information Title of organization : Betlehem Day Care Center Foundation Incorporation (BDCCFI) Description: The Day Care Center is an outreach project of the Cebu Archdiocesan Prison apostolate (CAPA) For 14 years now. Location : White Road , Inayawan, cebu City Management Staff: Founder: Fr. Giovanni (John) Iacono This center is currently being run by one head teacher, secretary, permanent casual volunteers, one coordinator and four teachers all under the guidance of one Catholic priest, Fr. Iacono. Organizational Chart Mission: The Bethlehem Day Care Center provides daycare service and other support service to the children of scavengers at the landfill site: 360 families residing in our houses, in Dumlog, Talisay. The average family is 4-6 persons (eventually we will have about 3,000 family members in our Village) 38 houses (built with the help of Habitat for Humanity) in Inayawan, Cebu Providing children with an educational foundation as toddlers encourages them and increases their chance in getting into elementary school. With education, these children develop into productive individuals, contributing the poverty alleviation and community building. No amount of money can ever be enough to help one child have a brighter future. No efforts are too many to help a child to go to school and improve his knowledge for the future. No pain is too big to bear if it gives a person dignity. No humiliation should stop anybody from helping the needy. Our facility currently accommodates children from families near the dumpsite area. These children, ages three to six, are sons and daughters of scavengers at the landfill site at Inayawan, Cebu City, Philippines. These children scavengers earn 50 to 100 pesos a day. As part of its program and service, we offer daycare sessions, scholarships to 10 students, a supplemental feeding program, uniforms, medical services and Basic Moral Christian values and Basic Ecclesial Communities formation among the parents of the Daycare Children. The center offers the above services free of charge. Objectives †¢ To assist less privilege families who are not able to provide their children with opportunities to develop a strong foundation of spirituality and values of the society where they live. †¢ To aid in the development of the child? s mental, communication and creative abilities, confidence, self expression and discipline adapted to their stage of growth and development. †¢ To enable the child to understand and relate positively to his/her parents and other adults in the family and his/her social environment. To provide the pre-school child with opportunities to improve and maintain health through supplemental feeding. †¢ To provide custodial care for the child during the absence of the parents/guardian when no better substitute arrangement is available at home. †¢ Crime prevention. †¢ Reduced mortality rate among children. Program and Services: The Bethlehem Day Care Center program includes: †¢ Physical caring, supplemental feeding. †¢ Motor skills development. †¢ Value inculcation, human relations. †¢ Language development, cognitive adoptive skills. †¢ Creative experience, mental stimulation. Spirituality. †¢ Personal and social skills. The day care service integrates these components needed in providing substitute parenting for the pre-school child. More than just watching over the child and keeping him/her protected from physical harm, substitute mothering includes mental stimulation and value inculcation. Group activities are also facilitated to encourage socialization among the children, as well as teach basic knowledge and skills of daily living. Supplemental feeding is included in the program to correct food deficiencies and ensure that the nutritional needs of the child are met. Uniforms, school accessories and medical care are also provided for the children who attend the day care services. The center offers Basic Moral Christian values and Basic Ecclesial Communities Formation among the parents of the Daycare Children. About 130 parents attend this activity twice a year. II. Organizational Problem A. Nature of the Problem 1. Why should Betlehem Day Care Center Foundation Inc. (BDCCFI) be established and operated in White Road, Inayawan, Cebu City ? Fr. John Iacono , an Australian priest, first visited the Philippines in the 1980s as a missionary priest. One of his many duties was to provide pastoral care for the prisoners in the city jails in Cebu City. He found that a large proportion of prisoners originated from a small region of Cebu known as Inayawan where there was a tip site known as Smokey Mountain (not to be confused with Smokey Mountain in Manila) where families scavenged for daily subsistence. He found that small children, some as young as 3 years old, were forced to work there on the tip site to earn a few pesos to help the family buy food . (photo of rubbish tip). Inayawan is a local word meaning unwanted, unloved, rejected ie a dumpsite. About this time, he met another Catholic Priest, Fr. Heinz Kuluke, an SVD, missionary priest from Germany , who also knew of Smokey Mountain at Inayawan. Initially the authorities denied that these places existed in Cebu but one evening Fr Heinz followed a rubbish truck which ended up at Inayawan. There he found about 200 families living in cardboard and tin sheds and living from scavenging on the tip. For a month he lived and worked side by side with the families to work out ways to help them. He was witness to some of the 20 annual child deaths caused by sickness, infections and malnutrition. In 1992, he set up a Day Care Centre for children which worked for about a month before attendance started to fall. He found that parents could not earn enough to feed their families if the children were not scavenging too. Following discussions between the two priests, it was agreed to give each child some rice to take home after school each afternoon to compensate for the food which they could not provide by scavenging. From that point on the project flourished. The Betlehem Day Care Center Foundation Inc. BDCCFI) was established in White Road, Inayawan, Cebu City, Philippines with its core purpose to continually provide for the center. B. Serious Problems 1. How the Betlehem Day Care Center Foundation Inc can sustain the maintenance in implementing and operating its program and services with free of charge to the most disadvantage children of scavengers in the community if the org anization are facing with serious problems and needs ? (see the datas ) Needs : 1. Physical Facility| *Land area, buildings and furnitures| 2. Technological Facility| *Computer, Electric fan, T. V. and etc. 3. Construction Materials| *Plywood, cement etc| 4. Volunteer Needs| *Medical personnel: doctors, nurses, health teaching professionals, dentists (withg dental chair), person adept at community building and teaching Basic Moral Christian Values| 5. Donation needs /Cash assistance| * P 45,000. 00/ month is needed for manpower at the Betlehem Day Care| 6. Other Expenses( incurred for the implementation of their program and services )| Supplemental feeding program to the daycare children Provision of medical services Assistance formation of Basic EcclesialCommunities Conduct of Basic Moral Christian Values both to the children and their parents Total monthly expenses are approximately P100,000. 00 Financing of more housing – costing 90,000 -100,000 pesos per house. | IV. Key Elements for solutions to the Problems Before : The day care center was first opened in 1993 in a rented room at Laray, Inayawan. In 1995, the day care moved to another location on White Road. Sitting on 350 square meters, the facility was composed of a main â€Å"nipa† (palm leaves) –roofed building which housed two classrooms, and an annex teacher’s quarters and dirty kitchen. The facility, however, was cramped for the school’s attendees and the parents took turns helping our in the school’s maintenance. The area was also easily flooded when it rained, since it was located beside a creek. A. BCA is made up of everyday Australians who are committed to making a difference to the world. Through BCA , members have been touched by the grace and humbleness of many disadvantaged people whom they have met. They feel privileged to be involved; it has resulted in their own lives being enriched as well as making a difference to others. The Board of Directors includes the following:   FR JOHN IACONO PatronFr John Iacono has lived and worked in the Philippines since 1982 (except for a few years in Australia ). Among his many early missionary tasks, was to offer pastoral care to prisoners. This work led him to the local rubbish tips where he became committed to helping the many marginalized families who lived there. His dream to open a Day Care Centre for the children of these families to break the poverty cycle has come true twice! The first centre opened in 1992 and the second more permanent one in January 2004; [see History]. Over 1500 children have attended the Centres and all have gone onto attend Primary and High School. He is the first link in our work in the Philippines . [ see FJ background ] RON NATOLI ChairmanRon has had extensive experience in the building trade for over 40 years. He saw the need to help after his first visit to Cebu , with his wife Maria, in August 2001 and has not stopped since! Commencing with fund raising for the Day Care Centre, he has been a stalwart supporter and visionary to Bethlehem and all its related projects. ROS BRADLEY SecretaryRos has always had a keen interest in overseas development programs. Using her experience from working at The Fred Hollows Foundation, she has been an unswerving supporter of Bethlehem from its early days and is enjoying progressing the formation of BCA. LANCE BROOKSLance started Communities for Communities (C4C) 3 years ago. C4C is about building, experiencing and celebrating community within our own communities as well as reaching out and helping other communities. His wide variety of local fun(d) raising activities as well as helping to build 9 schools on the Burmese/Thai border express these exact sentiments. C4C is now supporting the S. Pio Village. VICKI KASSOUF Vicki is unstoppable! Forever the pilgrim, Vicki travels widely for her studies and research, but always adds a positive contribution to meetings and assists enthusiastically with fundraising events. JOE EL-KHOURY Joe is an experienced and widely acclaimed teacher at St Aloysius College. He has visited the Philippines twice, both times as a pilgrim as opposed to a tourist; as a result he is tota| Welcome to  Bethlehem Communities Australia (BCA)! Thank you for taking the time to visit our site. Bethlehem Communities Australia is an exciting organisation  striving to help disadvantaged communities have a better way of life. We believe that poverty can be removed. And like Nelson Mandela, we believe that ‘overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity†¦. it is an act of justice. We work with Indigenous partners in small disadvantaged communities, by means of many different initiatives, resulting in communities that are run for the people, by the people. Bethlehem Communities Australias Mission is to contribute to the  relief of poverty in disadvantaged and marginalised communitiesin the Philippines and other developing countries, and to facilitate their transformation and development by providing: | early childhood development initiatives,| affordable and appropriate housing,| | programs that establish sustainable incomes. | | initiatives that form and strengthen Christian-based values within families and communities| B. Enter Ron and Maria Natoli with both their building expertise and boundless energy After their first life changing visit in August 2001, they (and their family) set about he lping Fr. John to raise funds to build a new day Care Centre. Along with many Australian supporters over $400,000 was raised. First the land was bought, followed by the building of a sturdier and more permanent concrete structure which was able to cater for all of the children of Inayawan, (approximately 160 children). Fr Johns dream had come true! The new Bethlehem Day Care Centre opened in January 2004 with much fanfare. It was here that the Australian group first met the celebrated University of the Visayas Choir who have become part of BCA life. C. With the help of Australian benefactors, CAPA started construction of a 1,084-square meter building just few meters away from the previous day care center. The center is now completed and operational and presently serving 160 children. D. BDC provides the land (3. 5 hectares were previously donated). Our families live there rent-free with 15 years to pay for the cost of the house. After the house is paid for, the family can buy the land. E, Cash Donations or assistance through credit cards, cheque, money order or cash from Betlehem Communities Australia (BCA) members and supporters worldwide. These cash donations from the BCA members and supporters have a greater part on the success of the Betlehem Day care Center program and services. (see the attached donation form and contact no. ) C4C visit to cebu a huge success! Lance Brooks, CEO of Communities for Communities (C4C) recently returned from a very successful trip to Cebu . Lance and 22 others left Sydney on 7 th October, for 8 days; the group was keen to see the reality of their fundraising efforts and to work side by side with Habitat for Humanity and the home partners of San Pio Village (SPV) in building their homes. Their ‘hands on visit and working with the people have truly enriched their lives, plus during their visit they assisted in building 9 home The Bethlehem Day Care Foundation Inc (BDCCFI) was established in the Philippines with its core purpose to continually provide for the Centre. Bethlehem means House of Bread and this is their focus: to provide spiritual and material food for the future of the most disadvantaged children. The Gospel Motto is, I assure you , as often as you did it to the least of my brothers, you did it to me. Matthew 25: 46) V. Positive outcomes from the Building of the Day Care Centre include: | Over 1500 children have attended the Centre since the first one opened in 1992. | | All have gone onto attend Primary and High School| | the number of jail inmates originating from Smokey Mountain has decreased| | child mortality in the area has reduced dramatically (for the past two years no children have died)| | parents participate in the running of the Day Care Centre and as a result have learnt about hygiene, moral and Christian values. | Bethlehem Day Care Centre is an approved NGO. It is now Incorporated Foundation. Its website is www. bdcc. cjb. net| | The organization Cebu Archdiocesan Prison Apostolate (CAPA) was set up. Its mission is to assist prisoners and their welfare. With the full backing of Cardinal Vidal, CAPA is integrated into Cebu Caritas and is a non profit registered NGO. Its outreach program is the Inayawan dumpsite where it focuses on education as the key to improvement. Over 200 (new) families still scavenge there. CAPA is one of BCAs partners in the S. Pio Program| The community seems to have gained valuable benefits with the completion and continued maintenance of the Bethlehem Day Care Center. While their parents work all day at the dumpsite, children are left under protective custody of trained teachers, keeping them away from the hazards of the dumpsite, providing them with healthy and valuable education. Statistics at the Pardo Police Station also show that the rate of crime has decreased by 95% since the center was established. Keeping the children out of the streets seems to be a factor in the crime prevention. Since 2001, many Australians have visited Cebu as part of the Bethlehem awareness program witnessing the inherent problems of poverty. Their visits always include Inawayan and the Day Care Centre. The heightened interest and commitment has resulted in the more formal development of Bethlehem Communities Australia (BCA) which became Incorporated in June 2005.