TIWALA FARM
Tiwala is purchasing a 4-hectare farm in the Bicol region where we are establishing a base. The farm is located in a discreet, yet accessible mountain village in Santo Domingo, Albay Province. Tiwala Farm is out of the Mayon Volcano's danger zone and is considered to be an evacuation area during typhoons. Most of our programs will be held at Tiwala Farm, apart from our street child programs and outreach programs.
TIWALA FARM HAS 4 MAIN FUNCTIONS:
FOSTER HOMES FOR BOYS
This program will in essence be a sanctuary for abused, abandoned, orphaned and street boys who are in need of a home. Tiwala Farm will accomodate a community of foster families, whereby registered foster parents will reside at Tiwala Farm and will foster boys who have been referred to Tiwala for the program. In addition to the family care and nurture these boys will receive on a daily basis within their foster families, they will avail of Tiwala’s educational, spiritual and recreational programs at Tiwala Farm. Tiwala's plan is to build six individual cottages to be used as foster homes, with each home accomodating 10 boys and two foster parents. Through this program the boys will not only havetheir emotional and physical needs met, but will experience the healing touch of God. Our hope and assurance is in the power of God to heal, comfort and make whole these broken little lives.
The foster home project is Tiwala’s main project but has not yet been established, as it has been in a planning and preparation phase until now. Tiwala has laid the necessary foundations and is now ready to build upon them, hoping to realise the first phase of the project in 2009, which is the construction of a wall surrounding the property as well as two of the six houses outlined in the project proposal.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
At the farm, Tiwala currently runs a small kindergarten school and other tutorial programs for children in our village community. The boys who reside at the farm will use these facilities and will be further home-schooled until such time as they are ready to be integrated into local schools. Summer school, which is open to our local and surrounding communities, will continue to be hosted at Tiwala Farm.
COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
There are 28 families in our mountain village, all of whom directly benefit from our community and children's programs. A section of the farm will continue to be used for hosting various community outreach programs, church activities, livelihood and hygiene programs for mothers, etc. We believe it is important for the boys who will reside at Tiwala Farm to integrate with other children and families in the village so they won’t be isolated or stigmatised.
SUBSISTENCE FARMING
We currently use a large portion of the land for subsistence farming, with crops such as coconuts, bananas, papaya, corn, sweet potato, beans, abaca nut as well as many other seasonal fruits and vegetables. Tiwala employs local farmers to maintain and harvest these crops, which are then sold for an income or used to feed the children in our care. Each foster family unit will have certain responsibiltiies within the compound, with regard to subsistence farming, as the compound will function as a co-opereative.