Recent News
Edmund Rice Services
Maasin City – Philippines
April – June 2012
Child Protection
In May, Dr Pauline Meemeduma, Associate Professor of Social Work at Murdoch University
in Western Australia and an international child protection consultant for UNICEF, conducted
two days of training for ERS staff in relation to Child Protection and Care policy and
protocols with an additional one day of training for potential Local External Inquiry Officers.
A two-day training program was also conducted at St. Joseph College, for personnel
employed in education institutions owned and operated by the Diocese of Maasin. ERS staff
assisted in the delivery of this workshop. These seminars equipped ERS staff and other
participants with knowledge and a grasp of the significance of the rights of children and skills
in handling cases of child maltreatment and abuse involving children and minors.
Dr Pauline Meemeduma at St Joseph College
Advocacy
Recognizing a corporate co-responsibility for advocacy, ERS has appointed three staff
members as a Core Group for Advocacy. All staff will be invited to meet regularly to
consider human rights, systemic change to eliminate poverty and injustice, and what is
needed by way of advocacy to achieve ERS’ mission objectives in community based
development.
Review & Forward Planning
A Half-Year Review and Forward Planning Workshop was held on June 14 & 15. Mr
Barney McGlade of Christian Blind Mission, Manila, was invited to advise on ways forward
in community development. To promote co-operative planning and collaborative networking
representatives were invited and attended from NGOs operating on Leyte Island, namely:
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Cataract Foundation Inc
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VECC Visayas Ear Care Centre, Bacolod
Plan International Inc
FOBI Foundation of Omega Beneficiaries Inc
IDEA/LIAD International Deafness Education Association/Leyte Island Association
of the Deaf
DSAC Diocesan Social Action Centre
The Workshop Program included:
 presentations by ERS and the agencies on their respective activities, achievements and
challenges
 formulation of a 3 year plan for ERS and identification of areas of collaboration with
the others agencies
Child Assistance / Back-to-Schooling Service
 During April, staff revisited Barangay (a local government unit) Cagnituan, enabling
a response to a request of 2 children from high school to avail of the program.
 Barangays including Ilihan with 4 puroks (smaller section of a barangay) were visited
with the result of 47 indigent children being identified as eligible for the program (24
males and 23 females)
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The Back-to-School (BTS) Service staff participated in a 4 day Sign Language
Seminar together with the Disability Service staff
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During May, home visits continued in two Barangays, Sindangan (25 boys and 25
girls being confirmed as eligible for assistance) and Danao (18 eligible)
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The BTS Team facilitated TIGUM 2012, a day of cultural play and educational
enrichment activities in Barangay Combado, Maasin City, for 40 street children in the
Alternative Learning System program. A member of the Disability team provided
health and hygiene input. The team had collected donations from public servants and
private citizens in preparation for this day, which was honoured with the presence of
the DepEd Alternative Learning System Co-ordinator. The national high school
provided a room as a venue.
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To gain skills in natural farming techniques, the staff prepared dual-purpose
concoctions to provide at the same time environmentally-friendly pesticides, which
also act as fertilizers. Maasin City Nursery owned by the City Government and used
by Maasin City College for demonstration and practicum purposes, was visited.
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Two “Original Placement Ceremonies” related to “Food-Secured and Sustainable
Livelihood through Values-Based Development for Small Farmers” were attended.
These were Heifer-DISOP funded projects implemented by MFI.
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A joint-delegation of BTS staff and Disability staff visited Plan International main
office in Sogod to gain information concerning their program and to lay the
foundations for possible future networking.
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Disability Service
 ERS Disability Staff conducted Echo Training in Primary Eye and Ear Care for 33
Province school nurses together with the Principals of schools. The nurses were each
issued with an otoscope for ear health screening of children. These were donated by
ERS with the support of the Edmund Rice Foundation.
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During the second week of April, Ms Erlyn Joy Vanzuela conducted a 4 day Sign
Language Workshop for all Disability Service staff.
Joy Vanzuela conducting Sign Language Training
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During the 2nd quarter Eye and Ear screening was done in 3 National High Schools, 3
Elementary Schools and 9 communities with staff attending to follow-up ear
treatment if not taken on by a local nurse.
No. children 850
No. adults
466
Total
1,296
Vision Problems
TOTAL 155
M 458
M 134
F 382
F 312
in school and community
in school and community
100 refractive errors
55 cataracts & pterygiums
53 spectacles issued.
Hearing Problems
TOTAL 458 376 impacted wax 43 otitis media
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39 other problems
In May the Disability staff conducted home visits in Matalom and Bato in the Leyte
Province and Sogod in Southern Leyte. The purpose of the visits was to assess the
economic situation of the families of children with hearing impairment and how ERS
could support any in difficult circumstances. The assessment revealed that there are
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two hearing impaired teenager boys who need financial assistance for transportation
to and from school.
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Follow-up of 3 boys with congenital heart problems was done with visits and
extension of assistance with medication. Arrangements were made for a boy with
hearing impairment to have a cardiac echo test. The boy will benefit from the
educational program in Maasin for children with hearing impairment.
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June 13, Ms Rebbie Relator (Vision) of the Cataract Foundation and Ms Kristine
Valencia, with the support of the ERS Disability staff, conducted one day of training
in Eye and Ear Health and Vision and Hearing Screening for 8 School nurses from
Maasin City Education Division. Otoscopes were issued to each of the nurses. Local
community vision and hearing screening of 25 students and several adults was
included as a component of the training exercise. On June 13 & 14, children in the
schools identified with significant vision and hearing problems were referred into
ERS for the purposes of determining further courses of action.
Ear/Hearing Screening - Ibarra National School
Eye/Vision Screening - Community Hall
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