TACLOBAN CITY- Hundred twenty children orphaned during the onslaught of supertyphoon Yolanda are now being supported by the SOS Children’s Village under its kinship program. The children, who are all below 18 years of age and from the town of Tanauan and Tacloban City, are staying with their nearest kins while at the same time, with the SOS Children’s Village providing them assistance.
Oscar Garol, director of SOS Children’s Village, the orphaned children are supported by their organization of their education, basic needs, food and clothing allowance and fare for schooling. To date, Philhealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corp.) packages for the children are being process to help them during hospitalization. Garol added that the program is part of their emergency response program after Yolanda.
Children enrolled in the program are from San Jose district and northern part of Tacloban and from the villages of Lukay and Bislig in Tanauan. The purpose of the program where orphans were made to live with their relatives is for them to recover from the trauma on losing their parents and spare them for the meantime the fear of new environment, added Garol.
Orphans enrolled in the program were referrals from barangay officials although SOS enrollment is still open as there are still many orphans left unattended who may qualify for the program, he added. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
