RAFI, Missionaries of the Poor ink MOU for new elderly home

Sept. 30, 2011 - PRLog -- Last Sept. 5, Fr. Joseph Ssali, Superior, Missionaries of the Poor (MOP) Cebu; Fr. Kulandairaj Ambrose, Superior, MOP Philippines; Roberto Aboitiz, RAFI president; and Dominica Chua, RAFI chief operating officer sign the Memorandum of Understanding between RAFI and MOP, which signalled the start of the building of a home for elders and persons with disabilities on a newly purchased 4,500-square meter lot in Poblacion, Talisay City, Cebu.

The home will be named “The House of the Lord”. This will be constructed with a fund donated by the late Jose Miguel Aboitiz.

RAFI will start constructing the fence this month while the building itself is set to be constructed early next year.

The construction of the home for elders and persons with disabilities will fulfill MOP’s charism and mission in Cebu, which is to take care of the homeless, persons with disabilities, and the poor. It will be designed to provide shelter and care for 100 elders and persons with disabilities in Cebu as part of MOP’s three-year development plan. At present, the MOP brothers are already taking care of 30 indigent senior citizens in a make-shift temporary center in Barangay Sawang Calero, Cebu City.

The MOP, which pledged to rescue the indigent and abandoned children, is also operating a permanent residential facility in Cebu called “Little Lamb Center” that caters exclusively to children with multiple disabilities. Located in Barangay Sawang Calero, the center houses and cares for over 40 special children with cerebral palsy, autism, and Down’s syndrome, among others.

Established in Kingston, Jamaica, the MOP is an international religious order of brothers dedicated to the Joyful Service with Christ on the Cross to serve the poorest of the poor.

MOP is one of the beneficiaries under RAFI’s Grants program.

Grants is one of the capabilities in RAFI’s comprehensive approach to elevating lives and communities. Its other capabilities are Awards, Institutional Development & Planning, Knowledge Sharing & Advocacy, and Services & Facilities. These capabilities are harnessed for RAFI to deliver on its promise through its five focus areas: Integrated Development, Micro-finance & Entrepreneurship, Culture & Heritage, Leadership & Citizenship, and Education.

For more information about Grants, please contact 418-7234 loc. 205 and look for Jan Montilla or visit http://www.rafi.org.ph for details.

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Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc (RAFI) is a non-stock, non-profit organization committed to “elevating lives through a comprehensive approach that champions best practices in community development”.