Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
HAPPY MOMENTS IN AND AROUND CASA CITTADINI
We would like to share the happy moments that we spend together with our family in Casa Cittadini. Our life is not only all about study and helping with the chores around our home. Sisters also give us plenty of opportunities to experience different activities that bring joy and happiness to all of us.
Christmas Party at the Dy Family farm in Valencia
We had our Christmas Party at the farm of Atty. Edmund Dy, Vice-Chairman of Casa Cittadini Foundation, Inc. and Board Member of Negros Oriental Provincial Government Council. We invited some families in our community to join us in our festivities.
Getting ready to give thanks to the Lord for our lunch
From left: Julieta, Maila, Cathy, Elsie, and Gladys
Hungry after swimming at the natural pool and eating our lunch in the most fun way for us Filipinos when we are having a picnic: eating with our bare hands!
(Sorry folks! No smiles for you in this picture.
Our mouths were full!!!! Besides, it was really cold! If only you could see how our lips have turned blue.)
Jessica enjoying her lechon skin with dinuguan and spaghetti
Casa Cittadini youngsters Elsie and Gladys
Rochel
Pure happiness: eating yummy food beside cool spring waters with nature all around us
We wonder who Keisha (right) is mad at in this pic? No.... she really wanted to laugh along with Manilyn but her mouth was too full!
Clearly enjoying our simple celebration. From left: Manilyn, Judalyn, Dawn Marie, Kristine, Anna Rose, Mirafe and Amalia. Keisha again at the rightmost corner.
Our beautiful social worker, Ate Ana (also with her mouth full that's why she could not smile) with Mommy Manina, and Sherlita. Also in the picture are Nene (in blue shirt) and Meralyn (in pink shirt). Maria Fe is sitted on the cement floor behind Nene.
Our little ones again Elsie and Keisha. They came out of the pool only for two reasons: to either eat or catch sunshine to warm themselves up.
Sr. Celina with Meralyn, Analyn, Manilyn, Maria Fe, Dawn Marie, and Nene
Sr. Celina watching us play "Trip to Jerusalem"
Keisha and Justine (one of the children from the community) playing the tomato dance contest
Community mothers supervising the games
Enjoying the cool spring water
"WISH UPON A STAR" GIFT-GIVING AT
ROBINSON'S PLACE
ONCAN (Oriental Negros Children's Advocacy Network) in partnership with Robinson's Place and the Philippine Army organized this gift-giving activity last Christmas. Two girls from Casa Cittadini, Elsie and Gladys, took part in this as well as some other children from the community.
More than 200 children gave their wish list for Christmas. The shoppers of Robinson's Place joined hands to make their Christmas wishes come true.
Gladys shown here with Arnel (in reindeer horns), one of the community children, who was also a recipient of this gift-giving activity. The smiles in their faces speak volumes of their excitement and joy at being there.
This is Robin Paul, brother of one of our girls in Casa Cittadini. He is a victim of Cerebral Palsy. His mother had to carry him around because they were too poor to buy him a wheelchair. Even the smallest chores were very difficult for his mother to do because Robin Paul could not walk or even sit down by himself. He had to stay inside the house all the time. Even visits to the Health Center were very difficult for them. Last Christmas, he expressed his wish for a stroller and this was granted to him.
Happy Julieta posing with her brother Robin Paul in his new stroller. Now Robin Paul could easily be brought out of the house for fresh air or just to keep his mother company as she went about doing her chores.
How we help those who are taking care of us
Casa Cittadini is a residential facility for girls like us who have been taken in by the Ursuline Sisters of Somasca. Most of us are orphans although there are some who still have one parent left. But in most cases, the parent we have left is unable to provide us with proper parental care nor give to us our basic needs most especially education. So we live now in Casa Cittadini and attend school in Valencia, Negros Oriental.
All our needs are being provided for by the Sisters. We are also very fortunate that so many kind-hearted people who are helping the Sisters do their work. We have sponsors, friends, and benefactors, both from the Philippines and abroad, who are helping us get educated, from elementary, to high school, and even until college.
There is also the Casa Cittadini Foundation whose members help in our daily needs. And we do not forget the countless private individuals who in one way or another, have contributed in feeding, clothing, and sending us to school.
How do we give back? Most important of all, we do our best to be good daughters of our Lord. We study hard and and in our small way, we help do our chores around our Home.
Best buddies Nene and Dawn Marie peeling the yam to make into yam chips
Sr. Maria Fe frying the yam chips while being helped my Mommy Sima, a neighbor who comes over to assist us. Analyn and Jonalyn carrying the fried chips for drying.
Dawn Marie, Judalyn, and Gyselle drying the fried chips.
Ready for packing
Our finished product: Yam Chips
Forming the dough of our Wheat Bread with Mommy Marina, (in red shirt) our house mother. Helping are Eunice, Jonaldalyn, and Jonalyn. They are now in college.
Our delicious wheat bread
Sr. Celina tending our garden. We grow lemons in Casa Cittadini.
Our little ones, Elsie and Gladys, helping Sr. Celina in the garden by
picking up dried leaves.
Elsie and Gladys looking adorable with fallen yellow-bell flowers on their heads
Elsie and Gladys helping Sr. Maria Fe while she ironed the altar cloth
Celebrating Sister Maria Fe's Birthday!
 |
| We had a simple celebration during Sister Maria Fe's birthday. |
We surprised Sister with a bouquet of flowers.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Articles Written by Silliman University Students
Australian Business Volunteer GARY EVANS recently came to Dumaguete to impart knowledge to ONCAN members on the strategies for conducting effective campaigns utilizing the tri-media (TV/radio, internet, print).
As part of this project, Mr. Evans enlisted the help of senior communications students from Silliman University to do advocacy writing for the NGOs.
We at Casa had two guests from Silliman University. Please find their articles below.
By: Marie Janelle A. Vintola (July 20, 2010)
Sometimes we find ourselves wishing to have a better life and asking a lot more from God but forgetting to thank Him for the countless blessings He gave us. And one of those blessings is the gift of having a family.
In the scenic hilltop of Valencia where the smell of cool fresh breeze awaits you, is a place where little children find refuge and have their hopes of having a family come true.
I will never forget the day when I first set foot at Casa Cittadini, a place in that small town that will forever leave a mark in my memory.
It was late in the afternoon when we headed to the beautiful town of Valencia. After almost an hour of travel, we finally reached our destination and I started to feel the chilly breeze I get and slowly I approached the grey colored gate. After a few seconds, I and my friend were invited into the place. The children were having their dinner when we arrived and Sister Celina, the directress of the foundation, allowed us to introduce ourselves to the children.
Sr. Celina, she told us that Casa Cittadini is a congregation founded by Mother Giudita Cittadini and Blessed Caterina Cittadini.
“Casa” means home, so it is a home for the children, mainly “for the orphaned, abandoned, and neglected girls.”
After the creation of a home for the boys, called Casa Miani, the Bishop entrusted to the Ursuline Sisters the creation of a home for the girls as well.
“We have thought to open an orphanage,” Sr. Celina recalled.
“It was a calling; it became reality, so it was opened 2003.”
Their main mission is to cultivate strong faith in Jesus Christ, promote Christian values, provide a place for learning, foster a family spirit, establish a healthy relationship with each other, and prepare the children to become responsible.
I was fondly chatting with a little girl in their study room when one young lady came in and stood beside the little girl I was talking to, as if wanting to join in our little conversation.
I smiled at her and she smiled back, telling me “Naa bya akong story diha te,” (My story is written there) at the same time pointing at the leaflet I was holding. I anxiously looked at the picture and then quickly read through the short story written.
Fourteen-year-old “Lia” (not her real name), formerly lived in a small, “shanty” house near the Smokey Mountain at San Pedro, Laguna. She was still six years old when her mother left her and her brothers and sisters. Due to great poverty, her father sent her to the care of the Ursuline Sisters.
“Lia” was still eight years old when she first arrived at Casa Cittadini. “Pasalamat gud kaayo ko naabot ko diri,” (I am very thankful that I am here) she said.
After years of being under the care of the sisters at Casa Cittadini, “Lia” still longs to see her father and her other siblings soon. She dreams of becoming a Social Worker someday since she wanted to help other children who are also experiencing poverty, like her.
I can just see the happiness she feels because of this great blessing in her life and in return, she wanted to do the same to others.
It just feels so great seeing other people happy and one thing I’m sure of, I will definitely be going back to that place, soon.
By: Dianine Cayle P. Cinco
The place was quiet, with children sitting quietly, seriously flipping through the pages of their textbooks. The wind is heavy with stillness. As I walked inside the study room, I saw faces of willingness, willingness to learn, willingness to grow, and willingness to live despite the twist of misfortune in their lives.
I was inside the room and was seating next to Leslie ( not her real name), a girl who turned fourteen that day. She is from the orphanage Casa Cittadini, which is under the supervision of the Ursuline Sisters of Somasca.
Casa Cittadini is a home exclusively for “orphaned, abandoned, and neglected girls” with the absence of the “physical, moral, spiritual, and educational cares of a family.”
I spoke to her as though I was her age to break the wall of discomfort between us. I felt her feelings of awkwardness in answering questions and later felt a sense of security between us.
The conversation went smooth for the two of us, Leslie was able to reveal her thoughts to me.
I began asking her all the possible questions that would help me know her a little more. At first the conversation was not that bad, but then I started to feel her distress little by little.
I felt the pain when she recalled blaming the Lord of what has happened to her mother, “Nganong mang imong gipa sakripisyo ang akong mama, Ginoo?” ( Why does my mother’s life seem to be ending in suffering, Lord?) she said in unuttered loneliness.
Her parents got separated before her mother died when she was eleven, she is the eldest in the family with a brother under the care of her aunt and another who is housed at Casa Miani, an orphanage for boys.
Leslie’ faith with the Lord changed when she entered the orphanage. “Nangayo ko ug pasaylo sa Ginoo kay ako siyang gi basol sa tanang kasakit nga akong naagian sa akong kinabuhi” ( I asked forgiveness from God for blaming Him of all the trials in my life).
Although her eyes appeared to be depressed, they sparkled with the enthusiasm of life when she recaptured the years when she and her brothers were still together.
She long for those times.
But also she yearned to be like one of the nuns of the orphanage helping out to kids like her without asking something in return.
Inside the orphanage, she felt at ease, loved, and accepted. Sharing a smile and breathing a sigh, Leslie said that all she ever wanted in life was to have a perfect family.
She could not change what came about, all she could ever do is to thank the Lord for giving her a home where she felt the love from other people.
I admit, I was not as brave as Leslie nor did I know what to do when I first heard thunder. I used to cry out to God asking “God don’t You see me crying, God don’t You see me get hurt, and God why are You not helping me?”
While I have not understood pain to the extent others have endured; I have not suffered a death of a mother, the abandonment of a father, and separation with a brother but my dealing with hurting people like Leslie gave me the thought that there are those people in deep sorrow ever eager to fight back to life.
All through out the interview, the story of Leslie gave me the belief that God’s plan could sometimes lead us to question His plan for us.
His ways seem so difficult to grasp. The suffering we are coping with has no definite answer but does in one way or another drive us to seek for Him more, and to believe in Him more.
It is realized in suffering that God gives hope to the hopeless, meaning to the meaningless, strength to the weak, and reason to the absurd.
As part of this project, Mr. Evans enlisted the help of senior communications students from Silliman University to do advocacy writing for the NGOs.
We at Casa had two guests from Silliman University. Please find their articles below.
By: Marie Janelle A. Vintola (July 20, 2010)
Sometimes we find ourselves wishing to have a better life and asking a lot more from God but forgetting to thank Him for the countless blessings He gave us. And one of those blessings is the gift of having a family.
In the scenic hilltop of Valencia where the smell of cool fresh breeze awaits you, is a place where little children find refuge and have their hopes of having a family come true.
I will never forget the day when I first set foot at Casa Cittadini, a place in that small town that will forever leave a mark in my memory.
It was late in the afternoon when we headed to the beautiful town of Valencia. After almost an hour of travel, we finally reached our destination and I started to feel the chilly breeze I get and slowly I approached the grey colored gate. After a few seconds, I and my friend were invited into the place. The children were having their dinner when we arrived and Sister Celina, the directress of the foundation, allowed us to introduce ourselves to the children.
Sr. Celina, she told us that Casa Cittadini is a congregation founded by Mother Giudita Cittadini and Blessed Caterina Cittadini.
“Casa” means home, so it is a home for the children, mainly “for the orphaned, abandoned, and neglected girls.”
After the creation of a home for the boys, called Casa Miani, the Bishop entrusted to the Ursuline Sisters the creation of a home for the girls as well.
“We have thought to open an orphanage,” Sr. Celina recalled.
“It was a calling; it became reality, so it was opened 2003.”
Their main mission is to cultivate strong faith in Jesus Christ, promote Christian values, provide a place for learning, foster a family spirit, establish a healthy relationship with each other, and prepare the children to become responsible.
I was fondly chatting with a little girl in their study room when one young lady came in and stood beside the little girl I was talking to, as if wanting to join in our little conversation.
I smiled at her and she smiled back, telling me “Naa bya akong story diha te,” (My story is written there) at the same time pointing at the leaflet I was holding. I anxiously looked at the picture and then quickly read through the short story written.
Fourteen-year-old “Lia” (not her real name), formerly lived in a small, “shanty” house near the Smokey Mountain at San Pedro, Laguna. She was still six years old when her mother left her and her brothers and sisters. Due to great poverty, her father sent her to the care of the Ursuline Sisters.
“Lia” was still eight years old when she first arrived at Casa Cittadini. “Pasalamat gud kaayo ko naabot ko diri,” (I am very thankful that I am here) she said.
After years of being under the care of the sisters at Casa Cittadini, “Lia” still longs to see her father and her other siblings soon. She dreams of becoming a Social Worker someday since she wanted to help other children who are also experiencing poverty, like her.
I can just see the happiness she feels because of this great blessing in her life and in return, she wanted to do the same to others.
It just feels so great seeing other people happy and one thing I’m sure of, I will definitely be going back to that place, soon.
By: Dianine Cayle P. Cinco
The place was quiet, with children sitting quietly, seriously flipping through the pages of their textbooks. The wind is heavy with stillness. As I walked inside the study room, I saw faces of willingness, willingness to learn, willingness to grow, and willingness to live despite the twist of misfortune in their lives.
I was inside the room and was seating next to Leslie ( not her real name), a girl who turned fourteen that day. She is from the orphanage Casa Cittadini, which is under the supervision of the Ursuline Sisters of Somasca.
Casa Cittadini is a home exclusively for “orphaned, abandoned, and neglected girls” with the absence of the “physical, moral, spiritual, and educational cares of a family.”
I spoke to her as though I was her age to break the wall of discomfort between us. I felt her feelings of awkwardness in answering questions and later felt a sense of security between us.
The conversation went smooth for the two of us, Leslie was able to reveal her thoughts to me.
I began asking her all the possible questions that would help me know her a little more. At first the conversation was not that bad, but then I started to feel her distress little by little.
I felt the pain when she recalled blaming the Lord of what has happened to her mother, “Nganong mang imong gipa sakripisyo ang akong mama, Ginoo?” ( Why does my mother’s life seem to be ending in suffering, Lord?) she said in unuttered loneliness.
Her parents got separated before her mother died when she was eleven, she is the eldest in the family with a brother under the care of her aunt and another who is housed at Casa Miani, an orphanage for boys.
Leslie’ faith with the Lord changed when she entered the orphanage. “Nangayo ko ug pasaylo sa Ginoo kay ako siyang gi basol sa tanang kasakit nga akong naagian sa akong kinabuhi” ( I asked forgiveness from God for blaming Him of all the trials in my life).
Although her eyes appeared to be depressed, they sparkled with the enthusiasm of life when she recaptured the years when she and her brothers were still together.
She long for those times.
But also she yearned to be like one of the nuns of the orphanage helping out to kids like her without asking something in return.
Inside the orphanage, she felt at ease, loved, and accepted. Sharing a smile and breathing a sigh, Leslie said that all she ever wanted in life was to have a perfect family.
She could not change what came about, all she could ever do is to thank the Lord for giving her a home where she felt the love from other people.
I admit, I was not as brave as Leslie nor did I know what to do when I first heard thunder. I used to cry out to God asking “God don’t You see me crying, God don’t You see me get hurt, and God why are You not helping me?”
While I have not understood pain to the extent others have endured; I have not suffered a death of a mother, the abandonment of a father, and separation with a brother but my dealing with hurting people like Leslie gave me the thought that there are those people in deep sorrow ever eager to fight back to life.
All through out the interview, the story of Leslie gave me the belief that God’s plan could sometimes lead us to question His plan for us.
His ways seem so difficult to grasp. The suffering we are coping with has no definite answer but does in one way or another drive us to seek for Him more, and to believe in Him more.
It is realized in suffering that God gives hope to the hopeless, meaning to the meaningless, strength to the weak, and reason to the absurd.
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