KAIBA KA, an acronym for
Katuwang ng Iba’t ibang Batang may Kapansanan (Partners in Rehabilitation
and Integration of Disabled Children) is a community-based rehabilitation
program run by the Vincentian Mission Center of Pili, Camarines Sur in the
southern region of the Philippines. Since 1999 it has received over ten
thousand dollars in annual grants from the Filipino Children’s Foundation.
Serving four Barangays (Villages), Kaiba-Ka focuses its efforts on
the disabled children of poor farm workers. Rural poverty strikes hardest
on these children who are often left unattended in families struggling to
meet basic needs. Poverty has long been a disabling factor especially for
the physically impaired youth who often bear the social stigma of discrimination.
Depending on the child’s needs, Kaiba-Ka offers both center-based and home-based
assistance in supplemental feeding, education, physical rehabilitation and
social integration, with parents and local volunteers providing the essential
support mechanism. |
