Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit, Philippine South (SSpS)
The Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit – Philippine South (SSpS) belongs to a religious missionary international congregation recognized by the Catholic Church. The SSpS was founded in 1889 by St. Arnold Janssen, Blessed Maria Helena Stollenwerk and Blessed Josepha Stenmans in Steyl, Netherlands and rooted in a Trinitarian Mission Spirituality, with ministries covering education, health, pastoral care, spiritual guidance, adult education, communication, cathechetics, chaplaincy work, social work and interfaith dialogue.
Partnership with the SSpS began in the early years of ERMFPI especially in the formation sessions of management staff. In 2021, the SSpS partnership covered support for the Developmental Supplemental Feeding Values Formation Program (DSFVFP) of the CEBU Families project. The SSpS conducts the sensitive values formation for and with the mothers and young women in difficult situation as a development intervention beyond the food feeding as it were.
The SSpS-Philippines South is located at SSpS Trinity Provincial House, Pres. Magsaysay Extension, Brgy. Kasambagan, Cebu City, Philippines.
Project/Activity
- Developmental Supplementary Feeding and Values Formation Program of the Compassionate Education for Building and Uplifting (CEBU) Families program: Cebu City, Philippines | October 2020 to December 2023
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade-Australian Government through the Direct Aid Program (DAP)
The Direct Aid Program (DAP) is a small grants program funded from Australia’s aid budget. It intends to work with local communities in developing countries on projects that reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development consistent with Australia’s national interest. It sits alongside Australia’s longer-term country and multilateral development strategies and with its wide geographical reach plays an important role in supporting local community efforts towards poverty reduction across the globe.
Project
- Empowering Young Leaders of Tomorrow (EYLT)- Maasin City, Southern Leyte and Bato, Leyte Philippines | June 2021 to July 2022
Christian Blind Mission (CBM)
CBM was founded by Pastor Ernst J. Christoffel in Germany and is one of the world’s leading organization in serving persons with disabilities. CBM works in the most disadvantaged societies, irrespective of race, gender or religion. CBM seeks to reduce the prevalence of diseases which cause impairments, minimise the conditions which lead to disability, promote equal opportunities for economic empowerment, livelihood security, and full inclusion in all aspects of society for persons with disabilities. https://www.cbm.org/
Project
- Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DIDRR)- Maasin City, Southern Leyte/ Palo, Leyte Philippines | January 2018 to December 2020
Edmund Rice Development (ERD) in partnership with Misean Cara
Based in Dublin, Ireland, Edmund Rice Development is dedicated to the liberation of people and communities from poverty and injustice. ERD is committed to transparency and accountability, and to an efficient, effective operation that impacts positively on the lives of people made poor. It supports the international development projects and programmes of its Edmund Rice Mission partners in the areas of Education (formal and informal), Community Development and Advocacy. ERD provides funding, development and capacity-building support to over 40 partner projects, benefiting over 41,000 people each year in 13 countries across Africa, India, Latin America and the Pacific Rim. https://www.edmundricedevelopment.org/
Also based in Dublin, Misean Cara supports missionaries working worldwide to empower those left furthest behind. Focusing on education, health, sustainable livelihoods and human rights, they now work in over 50 countries. In each, long-term relationships of deep trust are developed with those they serve. Since 2004, Misean Cara has supported this work through funding, mentorship and accompaniment. Today, 88 separate groups are members of Misean Cara. Representing different missionary traditions and increasingly international in their make-up, they are united in their commitment to eradicate poverty, alleviate marginalisation, help communities overcome crisis, and promote the dignity and well-being of poor and marginalised people around the world. https://www.miseancara.ie/
Projects
- Sama-badjao Women’s Livelihood and Community WASH project: Bato, Leyte Philippines | October 2019 to December 2022
- Increasing biodiversity and reinforcing mangrove habitats as a natural response system to combat the effects of climate change in the Sama-badjao community: Bato, Leyte Philippines | January-December 2022
- Compassionate Education for Building and Uplifting (CEBU) Families program: Cebu City, Philippines | October 2020 to December 2023
Compassionate Education
Compassionate Education
ERMFPI is committed to the principle that learning should not be confined within the four walls of a classroom. The Blessed Edmund Rice story is all about care and compassion for children. It has been greatly moved by the profound realization that those organizations that live from and by this story has their moral obligation not to ignore the plights of children in our world. ERMFPI seeks to work with children, their families and communities so that all children in all its adopted communities are able to participate in meaningful program and projects that will have a lasting impact on their lives in the future.
The Compassionate Education program aims to create a need-based learning space and educational support where participants are capacitated and encouraged to take positive actions towards their future. This is in response to the recent World Bank’s report that 9 out of 10 children in the Philippines at late primary age are not proficient in reading. Such a decline was exacerbated by more than two years of remote learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic. On top of this worsening situation, children are constantly facing risks of dropping out of school due to poverty. It is seen as the primary culprit among ERFPI’s adopted communities. Majority of the adult community members have only reached the primary level of education thus creating a vicious cycle of deprivation- economic, educational, cultural and social disadvantage, that when left unaddressed will be handed down to their children’s generation.
ERMFPh
