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2700 N. Military Trail, Suite 240PO Box 273908

Boca Raton, Florida 33427-39081-800-914-2420

La SagesseSupport for poor children with special needs

— Manila, Philippines —

And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.Matthew 18:5

PROJECT 0151

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LA SAGESSE PROJECT 0151

Project Synopsis

DescriptionFeed and educate up to 220 poor children with special needs who attend La Sagesse (“wisdom” in French), a school and therapy center run by the Daughters of Wisdom.

PurposeMentally and physically disabled children who would otherwise be trapped by their isolation and poverty will receive education, nutrition, and therapy, and be part of a loving community at La Sagesse.

LocationManila, the capital city of the Philippines.

Cost$33,000 annually for a year of nutritious meals for the children, and salaries for eight teachers.

Project Highlights• The hard lives of the families living in

Manila’s slums are even harder if their child has a disability that prevents him or her from going to school or functioning in normal society.

• Many children with special needs are abused, neglected and never learn to read, write or become contributing members of society.

• La Sagesse provides special education, physical therapy and occupational therapy for poor children suffering from Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy and other conditions.

• La Sagesse finished constructing a new school with help from Cross Catholic Outreach, and the center is poised to make an even bigger impact in Manila.

• Children attend one of three daily therapy sessions for three hours per session, and are fed nutritious meals, helped to improve their hygiene and are taught important social skills.

• Parents are asked to only pay what they can afford. Some pay nothing, while the vast majority pay only a few dollars for their children to be enrolled.

• To keep the program affordable for needy families, Cross Catholic helps cover the cost of meals and staff salaries at La Sagesse.

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LA SAGESSE PROJECT 0151

Lost in the CrowdVirtually everywhere you turn in Manila, there are people — the streets teem with bicycles and

taxis, the markets bustle with shoppers, the high-rises are packed with families. But it doesn’t stop there. Under bridges, orphaned children huddle under cardboard boxes; along dirty canals ramshackle huts serve as homes for the elderly; and slum communities sprawl into the maze of alleys, packed with families barely surviving each day.

Manila is the most densely populated city in the world, and millions of people live in poverty, including children. Often neglected, abused and lost in the crowd are poor children with special needs.

Families in Manila’s slums are helpless to provide for their handicapped child — they can do little more than feed themselves on the meager incomes they earn, and therapy and special schools are simply out of the question. Far too many Filipino children living with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy or other conditions never learn to read or write, communicate or become a contributing member of society. Children are even abandoned in the streets because the challenges of raising a child with special needs are just too great for their desperately poor parents.

These children are lost in the crowd, victims of poverty and helpless to help themselves, unless someone comes to their aid…

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I amyour God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with

my righteous right hand.Isaiah 41:10

The slums of Manila are dirty, disease-ridden, and dangerous.

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LA SAGESSE PROJECT 0151

Ministry DescriptionSomeone is coming to their aid: La Sagesse, a school and therapy center meant especially for poor,

handicapped children. Run by the Daughters of Wisdom, this center provides special education for children with learning disabilities; physical therapy for children with physical disabilities; and occupational therapy for children with autism or other conditions that require behavior modification.

At La Sagesse, professional teachers and therapists teach handicapped children how to accomplish daily life tasks, such as getting dressed, bathing, communicating and eating properly. The children are fed daily meals, which they would likely not get at home in their makeshift shanties, participate in activities such as handicrafts, and learn basic reading, writing and math.

When possible, La Sagesse arranges for a physically-challenged child to have corrective surgery. For example, some children born with cleft lip or palate cannot go to regular schools because, even though their learning ability is fine, they are unable to talk. But with surgery, they are finally able to communicate, making it possible to attend a mainstream school.

La Sagesse is teaching disabled children, who would otherwise be ignored by their society, develop the life skills they need for success.

La Sagesse asks parents to pay a token tuition of whatever they can afford. Some pay nothing, while most pay only a few dollars to enroll their child in the program. Of course, this does not begin to cover the large annual cost to employ the professional staff of special education teachers and physical and occupational therapists — not to mention all the other expenses of operating a center for special-needs children. For this reason, La Sagesse relies on Cross Catholic to help cover the costs of staff salaries and the children’s daily meals.

Professional teachers and therapists teach children with special needs important life skills.

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

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2700 N. Military Trail, Suite 240 • PO Box 273908 • Boca Raton, Florida 33427-3908 • 1-800-914-2420

© 2013 Cross Catholic Outreach. Cost effectively written, designed and printed in-house.

LA SAGESSE PROJECT 0151

Our Promise to You!100 percent of the proceeds of this appeal will be used for this project. In the event that we receive more than

needed to fund this project, additional gifts will be used for other urgent needs in the ministry.

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Help Now!

Don’t let them stay “lost in the crowd”Too often, children with disabilities are ignored rather than loved — they are “lost in the crowd” as

people neglect, ignore or abuse them. Dignity, respect, education and love are denied them. But the Catholic faith clearly recognizes children such as these are valued in God’s eyes. St. Paul wrote in his epistle to the Corinthians, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things...”

The world judges a person’s worth by their intelligence, beauty and wealth — that’s what it takes to stand out in the crowd today — but the Scriptures tell us that in the grand scheme of things, such measures of our value are insignificant. Human beings possess an intrinsic worth bestowed by the will of God. In God’s eyes, no one can ever be lost in the crowd.

In this spirit of love and respect for all, Cross Catholic Outreach is committed to supporting La Sagesse so poor, disabled children can grow up in a nurturing, Christ-centered environment, without the fear of abandonment or neglect. But we cannot do this important work without the help of compassionate Catholics like you. We hope you will prayerfully consider becoming a blessing in the life of a destitute Filipino family and their special child.

But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.

Psalm 9:18