|
Region-wide consultations identified four priority issues that Caritas
Manila addresses through its programs and services.
Livelihood and Employment
Caritas Manila believes that through work, man contributes to God’s
work of creation; it is vital expression of man’s dignity. With
a regional minimum wage that cannot account for a humane standard of living,
decent employment and other sources of income are our main concern. Currently,
we set up skills training, job placement and job fairs through parish
social services and development ministries. Cooperative development and
microfinance are immediate areas for expansion.
Housing
Caritas Manila internalizes that the true test of any society is how
it treats its “least, last and lost.” In Metro Manila, the
violence that accompanies the urban poor’s ejectment from homes
that are not even fit to be inhabited in the first place underscores how
our society is failing this test miserably. We advocate on behalf of and
with the poor, setting up dialogues between the voiceless poor and our
government. Our experience in setting up paralegal desks and organizing
communities to address land and housing issues light the way for deepening
involvement with this issue.
Restorative Justice
Caritas—love in its perfection—recognizes that we are all
intrinsically linked as children of God, and that we cannot be whole so
long as one member remains broken. In a society frustrated by rampant
crime, the cry for blood only perpetuates a cycle of violence and harm.
We are compelled to view crime more comprehensively, recognizing that
offenders harm victims, communities and even themselves. We promote the
practice of restorative justice as the way to address this harm, bringing
all parties to heal collectively. While our concentration is currently
heavy on those behind bars, bringing pastoral and paralegal services to
the imprisoned, we are also taking immediate steps to strengthen our prevention
and post-release intervention.
Family and Life
Caritas Manila accepts that the most challenging work in the pursuit
of justice lies in involvement with the “secular world,” especially
the family. The quality of the family as the basic unit of society can
only sum up to the quality of our society as a whole. Our programs have
always been wholistic in approach: parents of our more than 1,000 scholars
are required to attend values formation and marriage enhancement seminars;
medical missions for the family’s health incorporate preventive
health education.
Accompanying these program thrusts are our programs on capability building
(including volunteer development and management, training and formation
sessions especially in the Catholic Social Teachings) and public information
(whereby we inform the public about the works of Cairtas Manila with the
view of promoting social responsibility). |
