Our day care center, mostly just called "center", is the heart of Gumga sa Kabataan.
It is a safe and protected place where children can be during the day, before or after school.
Here they get to eat, they can play, do their homework or just rest. If necessary, the children receive medical or psychological care here. The newcomers in particular are often still traumatized by their previous experiences.
Our center is also open on Saturdays when there is no school. On this day, students or other volunteers from the city often come to give the children private lessons or to practice dances, songs or similar things.
Why can't the children stay overnight in the center?
In order to get official permission for this, we would need more staff and more rooms. However, this is beyond our financial means. But it also has its good side: Since the children go to their families or relatives to sleep, the contact with those around them is not cut. In addition, by this way Gugma also has the opportunity to get in touch with parents, grandparents, etc. and to educate them.
In certain cases, however, the safety of the children is not assured if they stay with their (extended) families. They might be exposed to abuse and violance. In such situations it sometimes happens that a child spends the night in the center. If then there is no sign of improvement, we try to place the child in another institution where it can stay day and night.
