This October,
Barangay Cherry Mobile participated in the nationwide celebration of the
Children’s Month – but not with the usual bunch of kids we see on a day-to-day
basis. To make the celebration more than ordinary,
Barangay Cherry Mobile reached to sectors that need special attention but share
only rare moments in the limelight.
CHERRY HEARS
BARANGAY CARAVAN - Malabon
Children with special needs are blessed to have parents and guardians
who look after them. But with all the limiting factors and the hurdles of this huge
responsibility, they can only do so much. To help meet the needs of these
children, Cherry Mobile, through its Cherry Hears Barangay Caravan project,
initiated to offer free ear checkups, hearing tests, and psychological and
speech assessments with the help of Philippine Institute for the Deaf (PID),
Philiear Inc, and the City Government of Malabon.
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| Toddlers also had a
chance to have their ears checked with their mommies. |
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| Children were put
through a hearing test to determine the level of their hearing condition. |
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| Kids went with their
parents to get their ears checked. |
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| One part of the
psychological assessment for kids with special needs required the child to
match shapes and colors. |
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|
Kids with special
needs underwent a psychological assessment which included a game of matching
letter and number pieces on a board.
|
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| Psychologists also
conducted speech assessment on the kids as necessary so as to know the level of
their cognitive growth. |
The results from
these tests will help these children gain access to health care assistance such
as discounted medicines with the use of validated IDs for people with
disability (PWD). Children found to have a problem with hearing were also
referred to further in-depth hearing tests and agencies offering free hearing
aids depending on their condition.
NATIONAL CHILDREN’S
MONTH CELEBRATION
While special
children are fortunate to have parents and guardians looking after them,
children whose parents are imprisoned lack the parental care and affection they
need to have a rich childhood – all the more for kids whose mothers were sent
to jail. Advocating the right of children to love and care, Cherry Mobile
conducted a gift giving activity wherein imprisoned mothers in Correctional
Institute for Women were given opportunity to bond with their children. In
coordination with Ina-inakay Center, Inc. that
caters to imprisoned mothers, 150 children were brought in to the venue to spend
time with their mothers by means of spending quality
time together through pep talks, playing fun games, presentations, gift
giving, and distribution of school kits.
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| The activity served
as a venue for mother and child to spend time together. |
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Mothers prepared their own presentation for the
event.
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| The kids had fun
playing games such as Longest Line. |
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Barangay Cherry Mobile made the day special by
giving the kids school kits.
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| The children also
received simple gift packs from Barangay Cherry Mobile. |
Children are indeed
important in every society and in nation building. They are the hope for our
future – every one of them. For this reason, we take to heart to reach out not
just the cute and adorable kids we often see around, but also those who
experience adverse circumstances in life. Left out and persecuted for being
differently abled, confused and longing for love, these children are the ones
who need genuine care – and we are out to help them and to promote their
physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being.
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| Volunteers at the
Barangay Caravan in Robinsons Malabon pose for a group shot after a day of
accommodating kids and PWDs. |
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| Kids take a happy
photo with the staff from Cherry Mobile and
Ina-inakay Center Inc. |
Written by: Keren Grace Tandico
