Preda Foundation

Youth development Project, residential Care centre for sexually abused children, Street contact and legal aid
crises intervention and advocacy, Campaign to stop Child Prostitution, AIDS education, Low lost loan system
(grameen).

Founded in Olongapo City in 1974 by Father Shay Cullen, an Irish member of the Missionary Society of St. Columban, together with Alex and Merle Hermoso to help those affected by the social problems of Olongapo City and the surrounding provinces. The Preda Foundation is licensed and accredited by the Philippine Gov't., operates a therapeutic home for sexually abused children, takes legal action against child abusers and provides outpatient counselling and therapy services for drug dependents. The community based out-reach programs help Filipino-Am children, street children and child workers. Undercover investigations document the sexual exploitation of women & children and supports the extensive advocacy and public education campaigns of the Foundation. Its networking is national and international in reach. Preda supports livelihood projects, fights rural poverty and exports handicrafts and dried mangoes and other fruits. Preda helps hundreds of poor farmers live in dignity and prosper through Fair Trade. By promoting women's and children's rights, providing AIDS and drug abuse prevention education, thousands of young people have been helped over the years. Preda Vision We envision a just, free, peaceful and prosperous society that serves the common good, respects human rights, especially the rights of children. A society built on faith, virtue and spiritual values that overcomes poverty by the fair distribution of wealth, opportunity and resources. lt restores and preserves the environment and builds up self-reliant communities through the participation of the people and respects and restores the culture of indigenous people. Our Mission To work for just laws and their implementation that will empower the poor and protect their rights. To protect the weak and the defenseless specially women and children from sexual abuse and exploitation of every kind. To promote Fair Trade by helping producers with low-cost loans, training, and marketing opportunities. Spiritual Renewal Preda works to promote spiritual renewal & transformation, strengthen Filipino dignity and self-esteem and work for social and economic justice for the poor and the oppressed. Lobby legislators in the Philippines and abroad to enact just laws protecting the people's rights and to change the national policy to make the poor and marginalized the national priority. The Children's Home Overlooking a beautiful view of Subic Bay, 139 km north of Manila, the Preda Children's Home for sexually abused children provides rescue, protection, and holistic healing. This includes expressive and affirmative therapy, by which the children are empowered, through trust and affirmation, to release their pent-up pain, anger and frustration at having been abused. They support each other with the help of caring professional staff. The life-style is as non-institutional as possible and fosters dignity and self-esteem, confidence and participation. Healing comes through love and understanding. When the children, from seven to seventeen, are strengthened with restored dignity and rights they are assisted to legally prosecute their abusers and find Justice a healing process in itself. The Childhood for Children home provides physical and legal protection from abusers but staff are threatened and harrassed at times by false charges and counter claims from paedophiles and their protectors. The children recover from abuse and sexual exploitation through community living, spiritual formation and education. They are reintegrated into a secure and safe home after two years. Aftercare extends for another year. Many other abused children and their parents in less threatening circumstances, are helped by Preda through counselling and education, financial and liveliood assistance. Advocacy and Preventive Education Preda lobbies for improved laws to protect women & children and prosecute abusers while networking with local, national and international child caring organizations. The Foundation played a leading role in the successful removal of the US bases and first proposed the economic conversion plan that eventually became law and turned Subic and Clark into industrial areas that provide work with dignity. The sexual exploitation of women and children was greatly reduced and the spread of AIDS and drug abuse checked. Children's Rights Children's Rights are continuosly promoted and preventive education helps slow the spread of AIDS and drug abuse. Thousands of students and community leaders participate every year in seminars organized by the Preda educators. Media, video distribution, theater and puppet shows, brochures and posters are utilized to get the message across. Training for government and NGO social workers, police and prosecutors in understanding and protecting the childen's rights is provided. Overseas Study Groups Visit and stay at Preda to participate in research and gain first hand experience. Journalists and researchers enjoy the welcome, openness and transparency available in the Preda projects. Working with the International tourist agencies Preda promotes responsible tourism and have joint projects with these agencies. Youth Program Youth Development is the primary focus of Preda's services, providing positive reinforcement, character building, renewing self-esteem, providing role models and leadership and moral value building and spiritual formation through sports, summer camps, participative seminars & workshops, educational benefits and job creation. Helping Fil-American Children Social workers at Preda organized an association of 720 mother of Fil-American kids, provided family research assistance, pursued a class action suit in the US court of complaints in Washington D.C. on behalf of the children in 1 993, visited and lobbied the US congress and State Department and succeeded in advancing a US congressional resolution assigning $650,000 for the FilAm children through US AID and other agencies.- Preda is not a recipient but delivers Youth Development Training and educational benefits to 70 Fil-am children from other sources. Low Cost Loans Preda contributes to a Grameen Bank project that organizes and gives loans to urban and rural poor women with no access to capital and no collateral for bank loans. They are trained in livelihood projects & financial management Training & Spiritual Formation Center The Preda seminar and education center hosts many seminars on spiritual formation and personal renewal. Seminars on development, human rights & tribal Filipino rights, child prostitution, AIDS & drug abuse. Thousands of young people benefit from the training center. Other NGO's & development agencIes benefit from the high quality and low cost of the Preda live-in seminar house & services. The seminar house accomodates up to a hundred participants. Economic Livelihood Activities Poverty is a major factor in the sexual exploitation of women and children. Innocent village children are lured into the sex trade when the family migrates from rural poverty to urban slums. The living conditions of urban slums contribute to the sexual abuse of children in the home from where many flee to a life on the streets. Preda's preventive strategy is to contribute to the strengthening of village economies by developing cooperatives, helping small farmers and starting handicraft industries. By providing production loans, product design and business advice and direct access to local and overseas markets, dozens of handicraft enterprises are thriving in rural and urban areas. Mango Production By assisting mango farmers improve production, break free of loan sharks and gain direct market access, farmers can get top prices for their mangoes. They by-pass the middlemen and sell directly to fresh fruit exporters and fruit processors, especially those who produce Preda dried mangoes, pineapple, and other tropical fruit. Exploitation f5 eliminated and prosperity grows. The Environment The positive environmental impact is huge. The demand for mangoes is growing, it is fast becoming a sellers' market and it encourages the farmers to plant trees on barren hillsides therefore contributing to the environmental restoration and conservation of top soil. The mango groves recreate an ecosystem of their own on once denuded and barren land. Networking with local, National and International NGOs and government agencies, Preda has an impressive network of contacts and prestigious partners that participate and assist in the effective and efficient delivery of service to poor and exploited people. ------ People's Recovery Empowerment Development Assistance (P.R.E.D.A.) Foundation, is an organisation dedicated to the protection of children and working for social transformation and a just and corrupt free society. The 12 projects of PREDA: 1. Childhood For Children -girls (CFC) Rescuing Child and youth from brothels and domestic abuse. The rescue of children from sexual abusive situations, in the home or the streets or brothels. The project is providing a residential home for 37 girls complete with a therapeutic recovery, programme with emotional expression therapy, family therapy counselling It builds up the child's self- esteem and confidence and personal dignity. It empowers them to stand for their rights and seek justice. There is formal and non formal education, value formation, spiritual up-liftment based on affirmation and mutual respect. 2. Legal services (Legal) for children accused of crime helping victims of physical and sexual harassment and abuse. Providing research and legal assistance in the prosecution of their abusers. 3. Rescue Every Child Today (REACT) This team visits the jails and works on the cases of children and minors in conflict with the Law. Rescuing them from the subhuman conditions of prisons all over central Luzon where they are jailed with adults. The project provides a residential center with therapeutic activities and training and non-formal education and legal assistance. 4. Street child Education Early Kontact and Outreach.(SEEKOUT) Helping street children in dire circumstances, providing fresh food, clothes, counselling, non-formal education, legal assistance, protection from police and tanods harassment providing medical services , outings, parties, entertainment clothes, friendship. ( A new home is planned for those asking to leave the streets.) 5. Pubic Education and Preventive Seminars (PEPS) provides specialised integrated workshops and training seminars by a team of four conduct daily seminars through the provinces to elementary high schools teachers, social workers and community and church leaders for the prevention of child abuse, drug abuse and the HIV-AIDS, using handouts, posters, video showing, direct people youth participation . 6. Special Human Rights Education (SHARE) and Lobbying project to the Barangay communities, college business on child protection and legal procedures in child abuse cases. Training volunteer "Guardians at Litem" ( RA 7610) to be appointed by the court to be legal guardians of children in need of legal protection and help, lobbying for the Juvenile Justice bill , Cyber-law against child pornography and legal and prison reform. 7. Research Advocacy and Information Networking (RAIN) dissemination through articles, pamphlets, Newsletters, public speaking engagements, global awareness building in the Philippines and abroad,through media radio and TV, and working with journalists and broadcasters. By using the Internet and networking with NGOs and other agencies here and abroad for lobbying governments , letter writing campaigns etc. the impact is multiplied. By mass mail outs and extending through other partner web sites and mail lists and the media many hundreds of thousands are reached. International awards strengthen the credibility of the data. 8. Indigenous peoples assistance community training (IMPACT) (a) Helping organise Indigenous people¹s leaders for dialogue and community action for environmental protection and development. This project hosts meetings between IP leaders and government officials and military to meditate conflict over ancestral lands. (b) It establishes tree nurseries and provides a least a thousand (2 meter tall) saplings yearly planted by the Indigenous people and volunteers. There are special scholarships for the youth of the 3 communities participating in the project. 9. Youth organising and empowerment training (AKBAY) and Theatre training production. This project provides training in social and family values , leadership training and character formation through seminars workshops summer camps , social projects done by the youth. One of the most successful outcomes is the formation of a theatre group that stages musical dramas with strong social and human content. (Mining,sex tourism,environmental destruction) The different groups toured in the Philippines and abroad for five years. (Germany, Austria, Holland, Switzerland, Spain, Ireland, Canada and Australia.) 10. Scholarship for Youth (SCHOLAR) Specialised education in nursing assistance , social work, and computer training for disadvantaged youth and in particular Filipino- American youth. The Computer training is a high standard course conducted at the Preda computer laboratory with 20 units and is certified by TESDA and Microsoft through the LEARN Fnd. It also provides learning opportunities for highs school students and a preparation course for skilled computer professional to take the Microsoft international qualification examinations. 11. Internet Safety Campaign (INSEC) National and International safety Advocacy campaigns for Internet safety . The project campaigns to persuade Internet Server Provider corporations to block access to child pornography over the Internet and for computer companies to make their products safe for children by providing free powerful filters to protect children from being contacted by stalkers and pedophiles and from accidentally accessing pornography. 12. Fair Trading, This is a nation wide project assisting 26 village and urban based production groups making quality handicraft items that are exported by Preda. The project practices the Fair Trade criteria and gives interest free production loans, development loans and access to export markets. Village infrastructure projects(clean water systems,land purchase,) Product design and other family services are provided. The project works with thousands of small farmers and co-operatives in expanding Fair Trade fruit production, fruit puree and dried fruit processing for export. The products, especially dried chemical free mango provide the farmers a fair price, access to expanding markets and creates an ever greater demand for the fruits. This in turn eliminates the price fixing cartels that once dominated the industry.