Author Archives: Ellen Goodridge

The Tondo Halfway House (“Centro Salvador”) will be inaugurated on Monday, July 1, 2013. This marks a major achievement for the JDVSF and a large crowd is expected to attend the event. The new home will support around 30 teenage
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Nearly 90 people gathered at Morton’s in London on Thursday, 25 April to celebrate the accomplishments of the John D.V. Salvador Foundation and to raise money for more progress in the future. Founder Lizelle Salvador and Treasurer Hugo Banziger represented
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To accomodate the continued growth of the Children’s Village at St. Martin de Porres (SMDP), the JDVSF will support the construction of a Girl’s Village, which will become the centre for vocational training and housing for the girls who go
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Photo updates as the project in Tondo nears completion.

The John D.V. Salvador Foundation announces an upcoming fundraising event in London.

SMDP has a variety of agricultural activities, from raising pigs, cultivating rice and vegetables to farming fish in ponds. The goal is to create a self-sufficient food supply and also teach the children responsibility as they are key participants in
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The JDVSF has had many successes over the last year. There are now 125 children living at SMDP, 25 more than last year. Six of the older girls live with Mama Mirna in a small house built across the rice
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St. Martin de Porres children had a very merry Christmas. JDVSF board member Hugo Banziger was welcomed and serenaded with Christmas carols and violin music when he spent Christmas day with the children. During the afternoon, the children performed in
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The structure continues to take shape in Tondon, and major milestones continue to be accomplished. A few recent updates from October and November include: Agreement has been achieved with Meralco, Manila’s power supplier, to remove the dangerous power mast in
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London friends attended The John D.V. Salvador Foundation’s sixth fundraising event on November 29, 2012. JDVSF chair Lizelle Salvador welcomed 22 guests at the House of Commons for a highly successful evening. The event was hosted by Amber Rudd, Member
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The construction of the Halfway House in Tondo is on schedule, and the structure now reaches the third story. With continued progress to schedule, the goal of completing the structural works, pouring concrete and installing the roof by the end of
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In the Philippines, heavy rains and floods claimed the lives of more than 60 people in early August. The worst flooding in the Philippines since 2009 also affected St. Martin de Porres. Fortunately stilts and a small dike kept the
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The halfway house in Tondo, Manila is closer to completion. In July, the ground and first floors were built. The construction crew has already started working on the second floor, and  the structure of the building begins to come together.
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In June, the Swiss chapter of the John D.V. Salvador Foundation and the Catholic Parish of Widen arranged a brunch and raised around CHF 1’400 to support SMDP initiatives. The Swiss chapter also decided to extend their scholarship program for
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Construction progress as of May 14, 2012. Target completion for Summer 2012. ABOVE: View of the rear side of the construction with column ready to be poured.

JDVSF board members Lizelle Salvador and Hugo Banziger visited the St. Martin de Porres home for children (SMDP) and the site of the half-way house in Tondo, Manila. The village continues to grow and received its 97th child last month. They
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During the recent board visit in March, fish harvesting was in full swing. The Pangasius, a local Dori fish, is being sold to local markets. A small truck comes to the children’s village regularly to pick them up. Going forward,
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Drilling work has begun for building the half-way house in Tondo, Manila, which will support graduates of SMDP who are pursuing education and work opportunities in the city. “This is another exciting step closer to realizing our vision, and I’m
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SMDP expects five new children in the New Year. This will bring the total number of children to 101, the first time that the orphanage has accommodated more than 100 girls and boys. The children are enjoying a nutritious diet
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JDVSF board member Hugo Banziger spent Christmas Eve with the children of St. Martin de Porres. Holy mass at 4 pm was followed by a fabulous Christmas show for which the kids had trained for several days. A group of
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On 27 December 2011, Carmelita Salvador and Rhoneil Fajardo, board members of the JDVSF Manila, signed the first checks for the Tondo halfway house supporting graduates of SMDP who are pursuing education and work opportunities in the city. The checks
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Initial steps have begun in Tondo, Manila for building the half-way house, which will support graduates of SMDP who are pursuing education and work opportunities in the city. A new fence was built around the site to replace an older
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London friends and family of The John D.V. Salvador Foundation attended a highly successful fundraising event on October 13. More than 132 guests gathered until after midnight in the lively London neighborhood of New Bond Street to learn about the
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St. Martin de Porres children have happily returned to school. JDVSF’s partnership with Angelicum College in the Philippines will allow them to finish their formal education. The children are participating in Angelicum College’s home-study based Re-entry Education Alternatives for the
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On July 28, 2011, a small group of friends of St. Martin de Porres gathered in Tondo, Manila for the groundbreaking ceremony of the half-way house, which will support graduates of SMDP who are pursuing education and work opportunities in
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A year ago, St. Martin de Porres children received an unexpected gift from visitors: two piglets! With much enthusiasm, a small pig farm was built at the opposite end of the rice paddies. Only a year later, there are already
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July Visit from Down Under In July, 16 students from St. Aloysius College, a Jesuit school in Sydney, Australia, visited the St. Martin de Porres home for children (SMDP). The students were there as part of St. Aloysius’ three-week intensive
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JDVSF founder Marisol Lizelle Salvador was profiled in the Christian Science Monitor on June 27, 2011 in the “People Making a Difference” section. In this article, Marilyn Jones writes about Lizelle’s history and her motivation to create the John D.V.
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On May 17, 2011, JDVSF board members Lizelle Salvador and Hugo Banziger paid a visit to the children and the grounds of St. Martin de Porres home for children (SMDP) and to the future site of the half-way house in
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ONE ST. MARTIN RESIDENT REFLECTS: “I’m living a life I could never have imagined” To celebrate the JDVSF’s 5th year, we asked the children of St. Martin to share their stories. Here, the words of John Paul, who was 11
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