Photo 1: Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo (in black) together with DSWD-National Capital Region (NCR) Director Vincent Leyson and Sanctuary Center Head Social Worker Evangelina Lawas recognizes the untiring support of partner individuals and groups who support the Sanctuary Center and its residents during its 29th founding anniversary celebration on May 9.
Photo 2: DSWD Director for Special Concerns Maristela Abenojar (far right) joins Secretary Taguiwalo, Director Leyson and Ms. Lawas to unveil the “Wall of Friendship,” a symbol dedicated to the Sanctuary Center’s private and public partners.
Hindi talaga maipagkakaila na napakahalaga ng serbisyong ibinabahagi ng lahat ng staff, social worker at iba pang support service providers sa ating mga residente sa Sanctuary Center gaya ng mga programa sa pag-unlad ng katawan, kaisipan at paghahanda sa kanila sa reintegrasyon sa lipunan (It is undeniable that the services provided by the staff, social workers, and other support service providers of the Sanctuary Center are of great importance for the psycho-social development and eventual reintegration of its residents to the society).”
This is one of the highlights of the speech of Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo during the celebration of the 29th founding anniversary of the Sanctuary Center on Tuesday, May 9.
The Sanctuary Center is a DSWD-run residential care facility that provides temporary shelter to females 18 years old and above who are improving from psychosis and other mental illness.
The social welfare chief also expressed her gratitude to partner agencies and individuals, both in the public and private sectors, through the unveiling of the “Wall of Friendship” to recognize the significant contribution of individuals and groups to the development of residents and improvements of the Sanctuary’s facilities.
“The collective effort to help uplift the spirit and condition of residents of the Sanctuary is one of the things that we are grateful for to our partners,” she said.
“Hindi lamang ganap na pagpapagaling sa kanilang karamdaman sa pag-iisip ang inyong ibinibigay, ibinabalik din ninyo ang dignidad at pagpapahalaga sa sarili ng ating mga residenteng kababaihan para maging produktibong miyembro ng lipunan (You did not only help the residents to recover from their illness but also to reclaim their dignity and self-importance to become productive members of the society),” she added.
Currently, the Sanctuary Center provides care to 143 residents all of whom are on the road to recovery through the protective and rehabilitative programs offered by the Department.
At the same time, the Secretary also assured the public that the DSWD will continue to cater the needs of women and other disadvantaged sectors through its 71 residential and non-residential facilities around the country.
“The DSWD is in the process of bolstering its centers and institutions by improving its structures and facilities and developing the capacities of our social workers in handling cases of women, children, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and senior citizens. We are exerting all efforts to increase the cost of care in our centers because we want to improve the quality of services that we provide to our residents and help them start anew,” she ended. ###
