The John D.V. Salvador Foundation

Tondo Halfway House Marks Milestone with Inauguration Set for July 1

Ellen Goodridge — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:29:19 +0000

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 boys with vocational training. In addition, it will help keep local families intact by providing a food corner for small children on the ground floor and a medical center for mothers with no income on the first floor.

Funds were raised for this project in 2009 and 2010, and construction began in December 2010. The construction was complex – workers had to drill piles 16m deep through the mud to make the building safe from earthquakes. Due to such safety considerations, the building was more expensive to build than expected. While JDVSF originally budged 16m Philippine Pesos (USD 388,000), structural safety requirements increased the amount to 22m PhP (USD 554,000).

“The building is an important milestone for our charity,” says Chairwoman Lizelle Salvador. “It is the foundation for our efforts to break the cycle of poverty. We want to make sure that all the kids from St. Martin leave the orphanage with work experience and a job lined up.”

JDVSF’s next project will be building of a Girls’ Center to achieve the same for teenage girls.

View of Centro Salvador from the street

View of the main facade

Second floor conference hall and medical center

Third floor dormitory space

Additional view of the third floor

Fourth floor dormitory area

The roof deck and accompanying view

London Fundraiser April 2013

Ellen Goodridge — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:15:01 +0000

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 the board and celebrated with the guests, many of whom have supported the JDVSF and St. Martin for years. Retrospective videos and photos from the past nearly eight years of work were enjoyed by all.

Future Site of the Girl’s Village

Ellen Goodridge — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 04:56:35 +0000

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 to high school and college. Proceeds from 2013 fundraising will support the development of this facility and program.

The purchase of the 28,000 square meter plot was just recently completed, and several views of the land are shown below. It is located within walking distance of the currrent Children’s Village, though not currently connected with passable roads. Construction will begin in the latter half of 2013 and hope to complete within 9-12 months. Part of the planned construction will include building a road to the site; a challenge as the surrounding areas include rice paddies that are filled with water for much of the year.

We will publish detailed plans, schedule and cost estimates as the preparation stages for the Girl’s Village move ahead.

Latest Photos from Tondo House

Ellen Goodridge — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 23:38:47 +0000

Photo updates as the project in Tondo nears completion.

JDVSF Announces April Fundraising Event

Ellen Goodridge — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 04:40:50 +0000

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

Agriculture at SMDP: Developing Self-Sufficiency

Ellen Goodridge — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 22:11:09 +0000

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 the agricultural chores. Here are a few pictures of recent activities.

Great Expectations for 2013: Helping More Children Reach their Potential

Ellen Goodridge — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 05:05:44 +0000

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 paddies.

The children are thriving academically. SMDP employs five teachers who instruct students in the newly completed school building. Older students enjoy mentoring younger ones. Two of our college students are doing so well in accounting that they have each secured a summer internship with Union Bank for 2013 and plan on getting an MBA. In addition, three older boys are training to become commercial seamen.

The children are also excelling in music. The violin group performs so professionally that Father Boyet takes them to weddings where they earn a little pocket money. A group of mostly girls enjoys playing Rondalla string instruments.

There will certainly be many exciting opportunities in 2013. For one, the young musicians may have a chance to perform in a music room attached to the new Conference hall. The event space will be completed in February 2013 and is already rented for several occasions.

JDVSF Board Member Hugo Banziger Celebrates Christmas at St. Martin de Porres WITH NEW PHOTOS

Ellen Goodridge — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 21:54:42 +0000

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 a dance competition with teams from the six houses. Twenty-six boys from Charmay House won with a dance inspired by the nativity and were awarded with a movie.

Father Boyet made a speech about the day’s significance and all enjoyed a delicious Christmas meal with pasta and rice specialties.

Progress Continues at Tondo Halfway House

Ellen Goodridge — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 15:24:21 +0000

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 front of the Half-Way House

Structural work on the lower floors is now 75% completed

Preparations for the 4th floor are also completed and the concrete is poured

All structural works should be finished by Xmas

Member of the Board Hugo Banziger will visit SMDP and the Tondo construction site over the Christmas holidays, so look for more updates soon.

House of Commons Fundraiser Supports Upcoming Projects

Ellen Goodridge — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 21:49:18 +0000

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 of Parliament for Hastings & Rye and personal secretary to the Chancellor of the Treasury. Also in attendance was Mr. Sajid Javid, Economic Secretary to the Treasury. After a personal tour through the House of Commons led by Mrs. Rudd and Mr. Javid, the party sat down for an enjoyable dinner and lively discussion on current political and social events.

In her welcome speech, Lizelle shared good news about progress made on the half-way house in Tondo. All structural work has just been completed and it will be inaugurated in June 2013.

The event raised more than £ 20’000, which is earmarked for the Girls Home, the foundation’s next project.

The invite, and the scene at dinner

Dinner attendees

A detail from the night, showing the official House of Commons seal

The view of Parliament the night of the event