THE SHARE A CHILD MOVEMENT INC: a legacy of child empowerment

THE SHARE A CHILD MOVEMENT INC: a legacy of child empowerment

The Share A Child Movement Inc is a Cebu-based non-government organization started by my grandmother Atty Esperanza "Lola Sising" Valenzona back in the 80s.  

At that time, she visited the juvenile delinquents at the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center (BBRC) city jail where she and other lady lawyers would conduct literacy classes for the youths.  They instituted a lot of reforms including separation of adult inmates from juvenile delinquents so that there may be true rehabilitation. Wanting to find a way to prevent children from ending up in jail in the first place, Atty. Valenzona solicited funds from her friends, co-workers and benefactors to provide financial assistance to keep poor but deserving children in school.  This was where The Share A Child Movement Inc was born.

The Share A Child Movement Inc (TSACMI) has been in existence for the past 33 years and has gone a long way from the one-woman operation by our founder Atty. Esperanza G. Valenzona to a 20-employee organization, with most staff doing advocacy and community development work. 

Our advocacy work aims to empower communities to prevent child trafficking, the worst kind of child sexual abuse. With projects supported by the Caritas Switzerland and Terre des Hommes, the strategy of training, advocacy and organizing (TAO) is done in partnership with the local government units at the barangay levels in the municipality of Consolacion, Mandaue City, Cebu City and Talisay City.  Community-based children protection networks were organized into proactive engaged groups to identify, reeport and refer suspicious cases to authorities.

Cebu was identified as a hotspot for child traffickers and pedophilia.  

The Share A Child Movement Inc was mentioned in local news dailies today as one of the partners of the international organization Terre des Hommes fighting to protect Filipino children from sexual abuse.

TSACMI aims to empower children and youth to become productive citizens of the world primarily by providing educational assistance to poor but deserving children to help them break the cycle of poverty.

Based on available records since 1993, TSACMI has helped keep 1051 scholars in school, many of them now successful professionals.  In 2014, a year of transition and necessary changes for our organization, we provided educational assistance for 110 existing scholars from poor barangays of Cebu City. During our recognition ceremonies last April 6, 2015, we had 5 graduates from college and vocational school, 19 graduates from high school and elementary school, 5 of them with honors. We also had fifty two (52) children moving up from our Balay Bata Daycare Center, ready to be mainstreamed into formal educational system.

SCARLET MAY 2015 in Cebu, Philippines

SCARLET MAY 2015

Lantern walk to help promote awareness on cervical cancer prevention last May 2, 2015. 

This activity was spearheaded by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center under the able leadership of Dr Belinda Panares and Dr Helen Amorin, participated in by VSMMC employees, POGS Cebu Chapter members, the provincial health office, the city health office and by several Cebu-based non-government organizations (NGOs), foundations and people's organizations.

The walk from Fuente Osmena circle to the Provincial Capitol was followed by the symbolic lighting of the Provincial Capitol building which would be "red" for the whole month to signify support to the cervical cancer prevention cause.

The program ended with Zumba-all-you-can where our OBGYN consultants danced to the beat of face-paced and energetic music.

On May 4, 2015 after the flag ceremony, the Scarlet May celebrations were officially opened with Ribbon-Cutting of the Exhibit at the lobby of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center with the Medical Center Chief Dr Gerardo Aquino Jr and Chief of Clinics Dr. Roque Antonio Paradela, doing the honors.

Guiness Book of World Records Mass Screening for Cervical Cancer at the Cebu City Central Elementary School last May 9, 2015.

We were able to beat the existing record for the most number of women screened for cervical cancer, set by India.  We were able to successfully screen 808 Filipino women for cervical cancer through visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA).

Daily "pulong" health education classes at the VSMMC outpatient department on cervical cancer prevention, screening and treatment.

Month-long free papsmear and visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center and Community-based papsmear missions sponsored by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.

Residents of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology offered daily free papsmear for the first week and free visual inspection with acetic acid linked with treatment with cryotherapy - known as the single visit approach for the rest of the month of May to patients from all walks of life.

Continuing Medical Education (CME) Workshop on Cryotherapy was conducted at the VSMMC Auditorium last May 27, 2015, sponsored by the Philippine Society of Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy (PSCPC) with Dr. Jericho Thaddeus Luna, Dr. Ana Dy Echo and Dr. Renee Sicam.

Dr. Luna in a photo opportunity with the training officer and the residents of the VSMMC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

On May 28, 2015, the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Staff Conference on Fertility Sparing Surgery for Early Stage Cervical Cancer was presented by Dr. Christine Rose Nonan and discussed by Dr. Sola Viste.  Invited special guest reactors include our supporter and advocate Mr. Ronaldo Delos Reyes from the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc and our idol, champion and mentor Dr. Cecilia Llave, the chair of the Cervical Cancer Prevention Network (CECAP) and the first lady chair of the Cancer Institute at UP Manila.

Active staff of the department attended.

Consultants and residents of the VSMMC Department of OBGYN

Insights include that the patient was one lucky lady because the cervical cancer was detected early enough to preserve her fertility, not just to extend her life but to give forth life.  It was also stressed that no woman should die from cervical cancer, and that it only takes one minute to save a woman's life for cervical cancer. 

The month-long celebrations of the Scarlet May 2015 for Cervical Cancer Prevention was culminated with a lecture on Cervical Cancer by Dr. Cecilia Llave at the CIM auditorium, organized by the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society Inc (POGS) Cebu Chapter.

Congratulations to the VSMMC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology particularly to Dr Helen Amorin, to the POGS, to our friends from the EJACC (Ramon Aboitiz Foundation), She Matters and the Cebu City government and the Provincial Health Office for a very successful Scarlet May celebration!