The Bahay Pag-asa children’s village is one of the facilities of the Davao City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO).
Out of 26, at least 10 finished elementary while the 16 others moved up to junior high school through the Alternative Learning System.
The ALS is a partnership between the CSWDO and the Department of Education.
CSWDO Bahay Pag-asa Center Manager Nenita S. Lim, in her speech said the graduation/moving up is special because it allows education to be a guiding light for the students to reform their lives.
"What was given to them is not just knowledge but a second chance for a good future, and many possibilities ahead for those who are working hard to improve themselves despite the mistakes they havecommitted,” Lim said, adding that the mistakes are never final, and they serve as a lesson for all to make the right decisions in the future.
"For the graduates who are here, continue reaching your goals for the sake of progress in your life, because far ahead you will reach your success,” she said in a report from the City Information Office.
A junior high level completer expressed gratitude to those who made the program possible, adding that when they entered the facility they did not expect any opportunity to continue their education.
"Akala ko noon wala nang patutunguhan ang aking buhay dahil hindi ko alam kung kailan ako makakalaya at makapag-aral ulit. Alam ko yung ibang tao na nasa labas hindi makapaniwala na kami ay nakapagtapos ng aming pag-aaral... kaya salamat sa ALS na program at sa aming guro dahil kung hindi sa kanyang pagtitiis, hindi naming mararanasan itong especial na araw sa aming buhay," he said.
He also challenged other completers to ensure that the opportunity given to them would not go to waste and to make their achievement a stepping stone to achieving success outside the center.
The ceremony was attended by the family members of the residents, officers of the Department of Education, representative from the ALS, social workers,including their house parents.
Bahay Pag-asa currently houses a total of 94 residents, with a 13-year-old CICL as the youngest. They have five social workers and 16 house parents.
Bahay Pag-asa Children's Village is the main residential care center for CICL and Children at Risk (CAR).
The Children’s Village primarily provides CICL and CAR residential care, and programs and services that are designed to enhance the children’s social functioning.
These programs and services included psychosocial care, self-help activities, health and nutrition services, group supervised interaction, socio-cultural and recreational activities, spiritual and moral welfare.
The center also provided value education, family preservation and unification, case management, psychological evaluation, occupational therapy, and educational assistance.