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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:
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