Staff Blog

When we take in children at CSC we become important advocates for them. We advocate for them in government offices, courtrooms and with social workers and others who have the power to decide whether they will be given the chance to be adopted. We attend meetings, write letters and affadavits and travel all around the Philippines in support of the children under our care. Our social workers, in handling the case management for them, are equal parts lawyers, counselors, writers and interveners. They work with the birth families, solicit support and cooperation from officials in the communities where they live, gather information, file birth registrations, write social case studies and letters, and attend many, many meetings.

We recently hired two new workers for our social work department. Neither Catherine nor Mardie came to us with exerience in our type of cases. Very few agencies do pre-adoptive case management, so there has been much for them to learn about the legal and procedural requirements in preparing our children's papers for legal adoption. Luckily, we have two veteran social workers, Carmelita and Chris, who have many years of experience advocating for CSC children. Carmelita is soon to retire so it becomes very important for CSC that she spend time mentoring our young and inexperienced social workers in the "tricks of the trade."

The head of our Social Work Department is Klaris, who is also new to CSC, though she has lots of experience as a social worker. She is learning very fast, and does much of the editing of case studies, serves as the liaison with government offices and assigns cases to our social workers.

Please pray for our Social Work team as they advocate for our children in many different ways and settings. They are on the front lines of service to our children and represent all of us with the people who have a lot of influence over their lives. They need perseverance, insight, tact, commitment, patience and lots of compassion for the needs of our precious kids.

Change is a part of life here at CSC. The ministry has undergone tremendous change since our initial band of pioneers started the ministry in 1979. We have grown tremendously, have added facilities and services and have expanded our work force from an inital six to about 130. We have professionals working in child development, social work, education, accounting, nursing and physical and occupational therapy. And thing change from month to month with new staff coming on board, others moving on and some going on furlough. 

Change is a necessary part of doing a ministry like ours. We need to constantly be improving our programs and services. We recently hired a Social Work Director here in Cebu, Klaris Cabansal, to head up the Social Work department, supervise our three other social workers,  write and edit social case study reports, and work with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Inter-Country Adoption Board on behalf of CSC. We are also hiring people in Child Development and Human Resources. We are currently trying to hire two therapists, as well. We want to upgrade all of our departments and improve all our services to the children. So change is important.

In spite of this, when asked about the secret to our success over the years, I always say that we have been successful because we have not changed. We are still doing the same basic thing that we set out to do back in 1979. We are taking care of children who do not have families. When people think about CSC they know exactly what it is we do. (That's one reason we don't have to produce new brochures every few years!) And next month and next year it will still be the same. In a changing world, with shifting values and constantly evolving technologies, economic and political landscapes and donor expectations, we still take care of children who do not have families. We have more kids, and we do a better job of caring for them, but our basic program is the same.   

Filipinos love birthdays. One of the fun things about being on the CSC staff is the opportunity to help our children celebrate their birthdays. We attend lots of parties! But another fringe benefit is that we get lots of love on our birthdays. The kids enjoy making colorful and creative cards to give to us on our special days. The are written and colored with love and appreciation. As we get older, some of us would imagine our birthday to be kind of low key, no big deal. But our birthdays are a big deal to the CSC kids. And so, the cards are made and presented. And greatly appreciated. Giving and receiving love is the greatest part of working at CSC here in Cebu. Here is a small sampling of the cards I received on my birthday recently:

Friday is Jake's day in the office, stamping names on note paper for the office staff. There is a lot of kidding and laughing while he is in the office, because Jake brings his great sense of humor wherever he goes. It doesn't seem possible that Jake has been with us for just over 30 years! He is a blessing to all of us at CSC and a testimony to how God has worked in his life. Things haven't always been rosy for Jake, but he hangs in there and meets the challenges of life with determination. And humor.

It is always fun when kids reach out to help other kids who are in need. And it is especially gratifying when in involved kids who were adopted from CSC but want to help those who are left behind. There is power in their prayers and so much love in their giving!

Recently we heard from a family that adopted some of our kids last year. Their oldest son announced that he wants to raise funds to buy hearing aids for his best friend who still lives at CSC. He hasn't forgotten his buddy and his special needs! I don't know if those who are reading this blog can know just how good that makes us feel here in Cebu. This boy has not forgotten where he came from or the needs of his friends who are still waiting for adoption. It is a testament not only to his big heart, but to his parents who have kept kept the ministry in front of him and encouraged him to think beyond his own needs and desires. It warms my heart and brings a tear to my eye.