Everywhere one goes in the Philippines, the need to care for the poor is painfully obvious. It is simply amazing that halfway across the globe, a group of compassionate individuals from Norway has been opening doors, and building bridges with our country to serve the needy and the underprivileged. For this, Filipinos have to thank the Ma’Ma Children’s Center of Norway (MMCCN).
The MMCCN is a non-profit Christian, charitable foundation that primarily serves the homeless and neglected children, unwed mothers, elderly and abandoned people in the Philippines. The foundation’s objective is to “help people help themselves,” by offering the poor section of the population means by which they can become financially independent and thus, escape from lifelong poverty. The foundation is managed by a board whose task is to organize fundraising and information services to all its generous supporters.
MMCCN was established by Rachel Trovi, who was born in 1927 in a small fishing village in Mid-Norway. Ms. Trovi, who as a teenager, developed an urge to help the needy decided to go to the Philippines and help the poorest of the poor after she came across the heartbreaking story of people living in Smokey Mountain in Manila. She started MMCCN in 1987, spreading her charity work into the country’s slums and destitute areas. Ms. Trovi bought and handed out food, medicine and clothing, and treated children for infections from rat bites. Ms. Trovi also traveled all around Norway, giving speeches and lectures about poverty among the poorest people in Manila.
Ms. Trovi’s work has expanded rapidly. After 18 years of operation, MMCCN now runs three orphanages in Hopes Haven, Gen. Trias, Cavite that take care of, educate, and give a bright future to orphans, street children and children from very poor families. The foundation also built hospices for the elderly, and a centre for abused children and unwed mothers.
To give these individuals a chance to begin anew and become productive citizens of the society, the foundation provides a livelihood training program through its sewing school. The school offers an eight-week sewing course leading up to seamstress certification. The sewing school serves as a production center for dressmakers who are normally single or abused mothers. They make work clothes for the Norwegian Jebsen shipping subsidiary, which has been an ardent supporter of the foundation and all its charitable programs for the poor. The center has also delivered boiler suits and other work garments to pupils and employees at the Osebakken upper secondary school in Porsgrunn, Norway. As a way to integrate the organization’s activities, the goods produced at the center are then forwarded to the MMCCN’s Center for the Elderly for quality assurance.
Aside from these activities, the foundation also collaborates with a local prison in helping child prisoners obtain special education via the MMCCN’s drop-in centre.
From 1987 to 2005, MMCCN contributed over P200 million to the Philippines benefiting thousands of individuals from different provinces through a wide range of programs and activities providing basic needs, like food, clothing, shelter and free vocational training.
Through meaningful philanthropy, and the commitment of the volunteers and contributing partners of MMCCN, poor children and other less fortunate individuals continue to hope for a better life and a brighter future, despite their circumstances.
In conferring the Kaanib ng Bayan Award to Ma’Ma Children’s Center of Norway, the President recognizes its exemplary work and dedication to easing the plight of unfortunate children and other people through charitable programs and activities in the Philippines.
