Search and Re-union

LAMA House searches records and case files and makes every effort to trace birth parents and relatives. Often the boys have not been registered at birth and have no identification papers, some come to us with no name or birthday. Our social worker ensures they all have birth certificates and proper records.  In most cases relatives or parents are never found.

Joseph used to be very difficult to handle, but that was a result of the years of  abuse he had endured.  In and out of children’s homes since he was 7, life was not easy for him.  What he had lived through gave him a very negative outlook on life, he had very low self-esteem and felt angry at the world.

He realized that he didn’t help his situation by his destructive behavior but all he really wanted was someone to give him a chance.

His outlook gradually changed during his stay at LAMA House where he shared a room with another boy and had his own things, a safe place to belong, an education and people who believed in him.  The destructive behavior stopped when he understood that he was loved for himself despite his difficulties.

He developed the gifts of compassion, courage and perseverance and had a dream for his future.

Before he graduated from High School he wanted to look for his birth parents, even though he was settled into family life at LAMA House there was still a piece missing.  The search for his parents was very emotional for him and disrupted his school life.  We never located his birth mother but after several years found the couple who had cared for him as a baby until he was taken away by a Social Worker at age five. The couple did not understand why he had been taken away and could not trace him again or find the office of the Social Worker involved. He was moved from place to place after that, they prayed for him and kept photos of him in their home.

When we found them they embraced Joseph with tears of joy, the whole village in this remote part of the Philippines celebrated with great excitement!

 

Services

 

LAMA House

Life And More Abundant Ministries

UK Registered Charity No: 1008940

Emergency Shelter

LAMA House has been described as a place where you can feel loved and safe, “like heaven on earth”—it is often the place where boys can celebrate their birthday for the first time in their life and learn to enjoy childhood!

Loving care in the home helps the healing begin for children who have known little or no peace in their young lives.  Some have been physically or sexually abused, others have been abandoned or mistreated, often by parents with histories of mental illness or alcohol abuse.  Others come from families unable to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads, leaving the little ones to fend for themselves on the streets.

In most cases officials removed the children from their homes for their own safety or found them living on the streets and placed them in LAMA House.

Alone and afraid, they are sometimes suspicious or angry when they arrive.  Devoted staff members promote trust through a safe, nurturing, child-centered environment while teaching coping and socialization skills to the children.

A few may return to their families if their parents work to resolve issues and situations that endangered the children, but for most this is not an option.

LAMA House also offers temporary shelter to children whose families are struggling to overcome homelessness, job loss, illness or other crises.  Parents who use this service work closely with staff to resolve their problems and access services that will improve their situations.

Every effort is made through television, radio and newspapers to trace parents of lost children and return them to their family.

 

 

Residential Care

LAMA House provides residential care and support for around twenty  boys aged 7-20+ years of age who need long-term care.  Some of the children have serious emotional and behavioral problems due to histories of physical or sexual abuse. Most are homeless due to abuse, neglect or abandonment.

Services provide for safety, shelter, food, clothing, and education. The boys receive individual and group counseling, spiritual guidance, recreation and life-skills training in an informal  home-like environment.

The home is usually filled with laughter, music and play but sometimes there are tears and anger as they learn to cope with their situations and begin to heal.  It is often a long process.

In some ways the home is no different to that of any large family. It is a lively household with house-parents and staff who help the children feel safe and at home, perhaps for the first time in their lives.  LAMA House team members go about their busy daily schedule of home life—school drop-offs, movie outings, sports, church activities, homework.  We teach the staff never to lose sight of their bigger, tougher job; that of helping the children in their care to find the best within themselves and allow the Holy Spirit to work in their lives.  They listen to their hopes, encourage their dreams and pray and work with them to reach their goals.

Some  children stay for a few weeks until family is found, or until is it safe to return home, live with relatives or friends.  Most of the will grow up with LAMA family, as in any family we are committed to them for life.

Transitional Living Program

Another smaller monitored home, in the nearby town of Naguilian provides after-care services for boys who leave LAMA House after their 18th birthday.  Here they learn to live more independently, applying the skills they have learned with less supervision.  They take care of their own laundry, housework, cooking and marketing, and practice budgeting and self support. 

The goal is to teach self-sufficiency through education, employment and good decision-making. Most will remain in High School or college as they re-started their education late in life. They go on to do vocational training and we help them find jobs to promote independence and prevent homelessness.

Older youth in the foster care system have more trouble finding a family willing to take them in as either a foster or adoptive child.  This seems to be true particularly of boys. With no family support system these young people are at significant risk of repeating the cycle that their parents or grandparents began.  To give them the best possible chance to succeed in life we continue to offer our parental support and guidance long after they leave our care and start families of their own.

A Hope and a Future