A happy childhood suddenly shattered by rape by the father, brother, cousin or uncle... Then it takes powerful courage to reveal the facts, to stand up to the abuser, to disclose these tragic moments to a teacher, aunt or friend. Further, the girl experiences rejection by the family, even by her mother, because the man – the breadwinner – is the most important in the house.

This is the story of almost every ward of the Dehonians Home for Girls in Cagayan de Oro, on the Philippine island of Mindanao.

The facility was established 25 years ago thanks to the initiative of Dehonian missionaries who, seeing the growing number of victims of child sexual abuse in the country, created a place called Kasanag Daughters Foundation (KDF). Kasanag in the local bisaya [visaja] language means the first ray of sunshine breaking through the darkness of night in the morning. It is an event that restores joy and brings hope.

The problem of sexual abuse is widespread in the Philippines affecting an increasing number of minors. NGO data shows that seven out of ten rape victims in the Philippines are children.

Typically, such crimes are committed by those closest to the victims, living under the same roof with them. The number of victims is increasing every year and they are getting younger and younger. It happened that a five-year-old girl came under our wings. Especially the time of the pandemic and confinement to homes "resulted" in an increase in statistics on sexual abuse

- says the director of the facility in Cagayan de Oro, Pamela Jane R. Romasanta.

The Kasanag is open to girls between the ages of 6 and 21.

We currently have 5 girls living with us who were raped by their own fathers. The abuser of another girl was her brother. When she took the case against him to court, the whole family turned away from her. She, however, received the help she needed in Kasanag, including legal help, and today she is a grown woman who is studying forensic science and wants to become a police officer. Although relations with her family were severed after her brother's conviction, she looks to the future with hope.

In Kasanag, the girls return to inner balance. They receive every support they need: housing, food, clothing, care from doctors and psychologists, education and legal assistance. The girls learn to cook, clean, develop talents – as Pamela Jane explains, the center wants to fill their "pockets" as generously as possible with the skills they need so that they can one day stand firmly on their own feet.

Daily prayer, Sunday Eucharist and the spiritual care of a Dehonian priest leads the girls to stronger relationship with God that is expected to result in the forgiveness to their abusers.

HOW TO JOIN „ADOPTION of the Heart” in the Philippines:

• We have set the minimum donation amount for "adoptive parents" at 12 $ / € per month for a period of at least 12 months. Bigger amounts depend only on your generosity and financial capabilities. Adoption is a collective one. Maintaining one child costs around 410 $/€ per month. The adoptive parent receives a letter and photo from the "adopted" child three times a year. Those who want to take on regular payments, please include this in the transfer title: Adoption of the Heart - permanent declaration.
• However, in the case of larger donations, we do not use a mathematical formula, e.g. 36$ / 12$ = "adoption" of 3 children, because we donate the money to support the entire center. In other words: the children who write letters to us are representatives of the entire Kasanag Daughters Foundation towards the donors.
• It is not necessary to make transfers monthly. Donations can be made quarterly, semi-annually, or even for the entire year in advance. Anyone who decides to make less frequent transfers of help, please write in the transfer title: Adoption of the Heart - permanent declaration + number of months.
• We will also be grateful for one-time donations for children from the Philippines. In this case, please write „For children from the Philippines” in the transfer title. If we receive a donation of 144 $/€ or more, we treat this case as "adoption" (12 months x 12 $/€ = 144 $/€). That's why we send the child's photo and correspondence. However, this is not a commitment to continue "adoption" in the next year.

Bank account numbers for money transfers are:

For $: PL 52 1600 1462 1847 3641 5000 0009; SWIFT: PPAB PLPK
For €: PL 41 1600 1462 1847 3641 5000 0013; SWIFT: PPAB PLPK
For others: IBAN: PL 79 1600 1462 1847 3641 5000 0008; SWIFT: PPAB PLPK

KASANAG DAUGHTERS FOUNDATION GIRLS CAN ALSO BE SUPPORTED:

• by inner spirituality and prayer,
• by making a one-time donation,
• by sending dial watches to our office in Olsztyn, Poland.