|
On the first humanitarian field trip as President of the World
Association of Children’s Friends, HRH the Princess of Hanover visited
the Philippines from 25 to 27 October 2004.
The Princess took this
opportunity to reinforce the Association’s relationship with AMADE
Philippines, which was celebrating its 5th birthday, and thus met many
of its volunteers, in particular the Virlanie Foundation and the ABC
(Alliance for Base Clean-Up).
Accompanied by Mr Francis Kasasa, Secretary General of AMADE, Maître
Eric Mallonga, President of AMADE Philippines as well as Mr Dominique
Lemay, President of the Virlanie Foundation and a member of AMADE
Philippines, HRH the Princess of Hanover undertook a “ long trip into
the depths of hell” during the course of which she was confronted with
the serious problems and the dysfunctional nature of this very poor
country.
The Princess visited the « child prisons » where so many youngsters,
both boys and girls, who are mostly arrested for minor offences, are
crammed together in terrible conditions. Deeply moved by this sad
situation, the Princess listened tirelessly to their stories and found
out from some of them that they had been sold by their parents to the
mafia networks or that they had run away from the squalor of their
townships, choosing rather to live their lives on the streets. An
overwhelming testimony to accept when one knows that 9 is the legal age
at which a child can be imprisoned in the Philippines!
Recently, and in part thanks to the action of HRH The Princess of
Hanover, the philippine law has been modified: from now on, a less than
15 years-old child can't be imprisoned any more ; all the children
younger than 15 will set free. This is a great relief, as well as a
source of a different kind of problems, because it is now urgent to
take care of all these children and teenagers in appropriate
structures, or see them go back to the street...
It is here, in these terribly overcrowded cells, that the Princess met
Marie, a young girl who was imprisoned and separated from her baby.
Marie’s wish was to be able to hold her baby in her arms on Christmas
day. Deeply touched by her wish and by her own motherhood, the Princess
immediately contacted the Mayor of Manila so that he might consider her
request.
Whilst Marie’s plea was being resolved, the Princess met with Gloria
Macapagal, President of the Philippines, to discuss her concerns with
regards to the situation of the children in prison and of those
affected by toxic waste contamination. Following this meeting the
competent authorities promised to make a real effort to make the
necessary improvements.
Later in the afternoon, the Princess was able to assess the progress
that had been made since the setting up of and the installation of the
“Mother and Child” homes in Manila. During her visit to the centre for
the “Children of the Children “, the Princess was welcomed by the young
girls with singing and dancing and this was followed by a lunch which
the Princess shared with them.
The Princess then had the opportunity to judge the quality of the legal
aid programme for the incarcerated children, which aims at helping the
children leave the hell of their prison environment and help them to
rebuild their lives when they are released.A dinner was organized in
Manila to mark the end of this first day, which had been filled with so
much emotion. This dinner raised an amount of 125 000 Euros, an amount
which is to be shared between AMADE Philippines and AMADE Mondiale, for
the implementation of programmes that assist so many underprivileged
children.
|
Read more: