Heart Of Mary Villa Appeal
Fund
An Appeal Sponsored by
October 2009
The Background
In April 1999 my wife and I adopted Hanna, an 11 month
old baby from the Philippines. She had been born into typical third
world poverty, but was fortunate enough to have been found by nuns at
the Heart of Mary Villa, a charity that devotes itself to caring for
orphaned and abandoned babies, and ensures that they find safe homes
for the future.
In 2000 I visited the orphanage after a typhoon had passed through Manila. Great
damage had been done; babies had to be evacuated by boat, many of the
facilities were underwater, and there was great risk of disease. The
cash starved government could do little to help, so who could? A
month later the Heart of Mary Villa Appeal Fund was founded.
With the recent typhoon hitting Manila very badly,
the orphanage has been devastated: the rising flood waters reached the
second floor of the nursery, and all 27 babies have had to be rescued
by ladders, boats and general ingenuity. The latest reports I have are
that everyone is safe, but all clothes, food and medicines, and everyone’s
property have been destroyed. What few material possessions the orphanage
originally had have all been swept away and they now urgently need the
basics to recover: food, medicine and clothing are all priorities.
The current appeal will focus on providing these essentials just as
soon as possible. Off-Highway Research has just sent off a sum that
should meet some of their immediate needs to ensure that life returns
to some sort of normality as soon as possible: food, drinking water,
and medicines, but it is also the longer term that we need plan for,
and for which we need money as soon as possible. The restoration of
electricity, the rebuilding of the infrastructure, and the repair of
essential equipment. All big projects that will require a lot of money.
Off-Highway Research is now leading the drive to raise
what is required, and is appealing directly to you for your help.
The Appeal Fund’s Objectives
and Achievements
The purpose of the Appeal Fund is to raise as much money
as possible from all sources (including You!), and to spend the proceeds
on a variety of key areas:
- Infrastructure:
The orphanage is located in flood prone slum area of Manila
near the docks. Several times a year typhoons hit,
causing terrible floods and damage, so the physical protection
of Heart of Mary Villa was a priority. To date a high protective
wall has been built, and all the buildings have been raised
by a metre. A massive but very effective task.
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Flooding Problems |
- Nutrition:
Feeding children is an expensive business, and in the past to
reduce costs the babies were not put on solid foods until they
were around 6 months old. The Appeal Fund paid for a nutritionist
to devise a correct balanced diet for all of them, and is also
helping to pay for the resultant increased food costs. The
changes put in place have resulted in an enormous improvement
in the babies’ health and ability to resist infection.
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| Abandoned
at birth |
Twins,
now in the UK |
'Miracle
boy', found under the wheels of a truck |
- Medical Attention:
Many of the children arrive at the Heart of Mary Villa just
a few days old. They are invariably malnourished, and often
suffer from poverty related diseases. Medicine is expensive,
but the Appeal Fund has been able to underwrite most of
the costs as well as to pay for a number of hugely expensive,
but life saving, operations.
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The nursery |
Paul, now in the US |
- The Staff:
These are the unsung heroes, or more usually heroines, of the
whole operation. Apart from six selfless nuns, there are
the nursery carers, the drivers, the cooks, the maintenance
men, the cleaners. All of them work at below the minimum
wage (and that is very low), but the Appeal Fund has been able
to offer them monetary support. This results in greater
staff retention, which in turn benefits the children.
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Carer in the nursery |
DP with carers |
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Playtime in the nursery |
Carers |
What Have We Raised So Far,
and What of The Future?
In the first nine years of the Heart of Mary Villa Appeal Fund, some
450 people and organisations have raised over £308,000, a vital
contribution to the long term future of this wonderful institution. But
we need more, much more, if we are able to continue to give the support
that is now needed so badly – so please contribute whatever you
can.
Bear in mind that a £10 donation will keep a baby looked after
for a week, this amount pays for the child’s food, care, medicines
and the administrative machine to help find new parents. Not very
much money to really make a difference for the future of a child. Think
about that when you next go to a restaurant.
What Could You Do To Help?
Very simply, send as much (or as little) money as you
can spare to me, either by cheque (made payable to Heart of Mary
Villa Appeal Fund) here at Off-Highway Research or by electronic transfer
to our bank, details of which are below. You can be assured that
every penny goes directly to the Heart of Mary Villa Appeal, and nothing
will be spent on administration costs. Off Highway Research
will add 20 per cent of all contributions to the total raised, and with
the generous support of suppliers will cover all operating costs of
the Appeal
Thank you so much for your support. I
look forward to hearing from you – and to banking your generosity!
My best regards
David CA Phillips |
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| Heart
of Mary Villa Appeal Fund
35 Great James Street
London WC1N 3HB
England
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Heart of Mary Villa Appeal Fund
HSBC Bank Plc
1 Woburn Place, Russell Square
London WC1H 0LQ, England
Sterling Account #: 51378163
Dollar Account #: 39870751
Sort Code: 40 06 07
IBAN # GB93MIDL40060711229761
SWIFT BIC # MIDLGB2142E
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Hanna Phillips, now aged 11
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