Fil Mentoring
There is a
growing awareness and concern for the plight of children around the world today. The
ratification of the 1990
United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child exerted pressure on
governments and societies to secure and protect the rights of children around the world.
In the Philippines alone, statistics on human rights violation on children have been
significantly recorded to reach beyond a normal understanding. The Department of Social
Work and Development, a Philippine government agency, reported 18,542 incidents on child
abuse from 1991–September 1998. Even the more basic children's rights have been
continuously violated without the benefit of justice. As a result, the rights of children
to a decent life and adequate education have not been given emphasis nor due recognition.
A large number of these Filipino children are caught in a vicious cycle of
abuse, exploitation, cruelty, conflict, neglect, abandonment, delinquency, and parental
negligence. Thus, the urgent need to restore and protect these basic children's rights
cannot be ignored.
Although several institutions and organizations have already began to make
initial contributions to provide these children with decent homes, educational
opportunities, and proper formation and guidance, the dilemma still exists.
Realizing the need for continuous voluntary community service to address
this problem, Fil-Mentoring (Filipino Integrated Learning Through Mentoring, Inc.) was
conceptualized and established to motivate and encourage these streetchildren to pursue
higher education. This is Fil-Mentoring's way of assisting these children -- by helping
them to help themselves.
In 1994, Fil-Mentoring, Inc. was formally organized as nonprofit &
voluntary organizations involved in propagating Mentoring schemes and develop supplemental
learning particularly for the Filipino street children. Composed of mostly young
professionals, Fil-Mentoring was created with a vision of providing these children with
adequate skills in enhancing their God-given talents, at the same time, monitor and guide
their academic progress. Furthermore, this group also seeks to assist other institutions
and government or non-government agencies involved with street children, in setting up
mentoring programs that could result in the establishment of a national forum for research
on effective mentoring schemes and programs.
Fil-Mentoring serves as a link between education and the community. It
initiates and promotes a wide rage of activities to children in all areas of education and
skills development. Ultimately, all these projects are geared towards the same common aim
– in transforming and molding these children to become successful, confident,
self-reliant, and independent adults.
Fil-Mentoring seeks to supplement the efforts of government in reawakening
the cultural awareness, environmental consciousness, and provision of non-formal education
and basic/literacy education for various target groups irrespective of their age, creed,
gender, race, tribe, geographical location, and political or religious orientation. Such
educational reinforcement is made possible by collaborations with various individuals and
organizations around the world. This in turn enhances the training and improves the
content and delivery of cultural, environmental, functional, health, literacy, and
non-formal educational needs.
Contact Information:
Fil-Mentoring, Inc.
12 Bel-Air Street, Fairview Park 1118
Quezon City, Philippines
Telephone: (632) 431-4763; Facsimile: (632) 983-0662
http://www.veranda.com.ph/fsi/filtext.html
Email: filmentoring@asia-mail.com / isidoro@i-manila.com.ph
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