My visit to Cottolengo Filipino

I accompanied Marilou for a short visit at Cottolengo Filipino. It is a non-profit religious NGO licensed and accredited by the Department of Social Welfare and Development. It is led by the Little Works of Divine Providence Congregation, which was founded by Saint Luigi Orione.

The vision of the NGO is to offer an home to persons with disabilities where they are loved and cared for. An environment that is happy, therapeutic and non-judgemental, where they feel like a family, which in turn is conducive to treatment and development. The end goal is integration, empowerment and a sense of productivity all to give these kids a chance at becoming self-reliant.

These kids are poor, abandoned, orphaned, unwanted, neglected and surrendered. They are physically and mentally impaired.

I have seen first hand the work they do and was both touched and impressed. The new priest in charge of the establishment had such love for these kids. I have seen kids with multiple illnesses, from autism to Down syndrome.


One particular case called to me because of the level of care he needed. He had quadriplegic cerebral palsy, along with a permanent tracheotomy and gastrostomy. This kid's specialized foods costs quite a bit, but it is the food he reacts best to. So it is the food he gets. They make sure of it. I asked about this kid's life expectancy, and the priest was uncomfortable answering me. It seemed he didn't like to speak in terms of life expectancy. He said, with some luck, the kid would live to be 16 as others had before him. Hopefully more. When they take a kid in, it's a lifetime commitment.

I walked around the grounds. Saw the dorms. The priest pointed the murals out to me. He said that they were made possible thanks to the help of a local man who provided the paint and the hours to repaint the place. The previous priest had not paid attention to such details, the present priest made it a point to make the place more lively and joyous for the kids.

There were many nurses working when I was there, each for a salary much lower than they would get anywhere else. He also showed me the workshop, where he encourages the kids to work to the extent of their skills. He says that he saw progress, some can even pour plaster and paint now. He mentions the highest attention span is three hours. While they are encouraged to work in the workshop to develop their fine motor skills, not all the kids partake to these activities and always only to the extent they can. It's a fine balance to encourage them to do the best they can while respecting their limits.

At the end of the visit we proceeded to the priest sitting room where I got to ask him all my remaining question. I keep hearing about priest living in luxury... That's not true for that one and I was comforted in seeing how humble he was.

I mean you hear so many bad things about the Church these days that it's easy to forget the good they do. I gave me hope when I saw how happy these kids were!

If you were inclined to want to help their cause, there is a program in place to sponsor a child. You can visit their website to learn more or get in touch with them. I would be more incline to sponsor a child through them than through some other big organization with costly administration.