Small Act Big Impact with WeWork at BGC

Last July 25, 2022, ROHEI Foundation partnered with WeWork at Menarco Tower BGC to celebrate National Make A Difference To Children Month in July. Together, we raised awareness about orphan prevention and orphan care. As the first event of its kind, ROHEI Foundation extended its call to end the orphan crisis to new partners and potential volunteers.

The evening was opened by a documentary about the Clasaras, a family who opened their hearts and their home to their adopted son, David.

Then, Jam Buen, ROHEI Foundation’s Head of Advocacy thanked WeWork for their services and the ongoing partnership. This was followed by an icebreaker with Esther Suson, the Manager for Partnerships and Donor Relations, who introduced the orphan crisis in the Philippines. Here guests were asked to guess how many abandoned, orphaned, and neglected children there are in the Philippines and how many adoptions are facilitated each year. The statistics showed guests that 1 out of 30 Filipino children is abandoned, orphaned, or neglected.

Next, ROHEI Foundation’s Pregnant Women in Crisis (Tulong Kay Nanay) program was discussed, showing that 35.9% of pregnant women in difficult situations originally wanted to surrender their children but changed their minds after being properly assisted. 

Next, Chrina Cuna-Henson, ROHEI Foundation’s Executive Director, talked about her own adoption story as well as the realities of what happens to those in children’s homes in the Philippines. These children require the love and care of a family unit but instead are made vulnerable to different forms of violence, abuse, and child trafficking. Furthermore, Chrina emphasized that as important children’s homes are, they are merely temporary and a band-aid solution to the orphan crisis.

“The finish line is not children’s homes, the finish line is families.”

She also talked about how people can help with orphan prevention, calling on potential partnerships with organizations and businesses as well as families or individuals seeking to adopt and foster children.

The event ended with an invitation to attend ROHEI Foundation’s upcoming online Pre-Adoption & Foster Care Forum and the onsite Family is The Answer event, where communities are empowered to have a deeper understanding and vision for adoption and foster care. 

ROHEI Foundation also expressed thanks to previous partnerships including CNN Philippines, Smart Parenting, Edamama, Mommy Mundo, and others. 

If you also want to partner with us and host a similar event, contact us through [email protected] or [email protected]

Let’s end the orphan crisis together!

Feliz Munarriz is an intern at ROHEI Foundation. She is a fourth year European Studies major at the Ateneo de Manila University and has contributed to projects such as the “Lights, Cameras, Adoption!” campaign.