Fr. Al’s Children Foundation, Inc. Partners with CFC ANCOP for Child Sponsorship

Program

On March 11, 2015, CFC ANCOP-Tekton Foundation, Inc. (CATFI) and Fr. Al’s Children

Foundation, Inc. (FACFI), held a Memorandum of Agreement signing ceremony for the

implementation of the Child Sponsorship Program with the Sisters of Mary Boystown and

Girlstown in its Cebu and Cavite campuses held at the Office of the President of FACFI. The

MOA was signed and exchanged between Bro. Jimmy Ilagan, President of CATFI and Mr.

Dieter Reichert, President of FACFI.

Background and Overview of the Project

CATFI under its Child Sponsorship Program (CSP) enables underprivledged and marginalized

children to obtain an education and then empower them to improve their lives and the lives of

their families as well. CATFI shall provide yearly scholarship grants to children nominated by

FACFI and who met the standards established by CATFI.

Fr. Al’s Children Foundation, Inc. works as the funding arm of the Sisters of Mary Boystown and

Girlstown in the Philippines and has been implementing the Child Welfare Program for several

years. Its task is to look from qualified benefactors to support the education of the poor children

coming from the different places in the country accepted by the Boystown and Girlstown with no

cash payback required.

The Sisters of Mary started its operation in the Philippines in 1985 through its founder, the

Servant of God, Msgr. Aloysius Schwartz. The sisters work primarily by establishing the

Boystowns and Girlstowns that serve as a school and home for deserving students coming from

poor families. These children are provided for with free food, clothing, shelter, medical and

dental services and high school education.

The Sisters of Mary has their own institute called Sisters of Mary Technical Education Institute

located in Cavite and Cebu which aims to provide relevant, high quality and efficient technical

education and skills development through the inculcation of desirable values on moral character

giving emphasis on work ethics, self-discipline, self-reliance and love of God and fellowmen.

Sisters of Mary Technical Education Institute Cavite Inc. offers programs that are TESDA

accredited and the tech-voc school is also a recognized assessment centers in the Cavite

province. The institution continue to produce world-class graduates including the country’s

Medallion of Excellence winner for Fashion Technology Ms Jessica Mirabel in the recently

concluded 2014 ASEAN Skills Competition in Hanoi Vietnam.

The courses, certified by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda),

include dressmaking, contact center services, technical drafting, computer hardware servicing

and culinary arts.

MOA Signing Ceremony

In addition to the two signers of the MOA, the ceremony was attended by representatives from

both the CATFI and FACFI sides. They included Romy Florida, CFC Area Governance Team

Member and Pastoral Formation Office Head of CFC Cavte; Albert Resurreccion, CFC Cavite

Sector 3 Head; Rovy Mercado, CFC Provincial Area Director; Ethel Balenton, ANCOP

Education Program Head; Manette Acero, CFC Finance Manager; Elmer Cadiz, ANCOP

Operations Manager; Vida Cuares, ANCOP Canada Coordinator to the Philippines. FACFI was

represented by Sr. Teresita A. Sumalabe, SM, Officer in Charge and Board Member of FACFI.

By Romy M. Medina