Along one of the narrow side streets along the Emilio Aguinaldo Highway in Silang, Cavite sits the four-hectare Chosen Children Village. This village is not just an ordinary village, nor is it a typical residential subdivision.
This expansive plot of land is home to children with intellectual and physical disabilities where they are provided with therapeutic care, quality education, and a more inclusive life than what they might experience beyond
its confines.
Because Mega Manila has been in General Community Quarantine since August 2020, Chosen Children Village—once frequented by volunteers, students, and potential sponsors—has quieted down to just the occasional visitor.
However, there are still residents living in the village. Even though the pathways are empty, they seem to have been recently swept clean—leaving only a few broken twigs, stray leaves, and chalk marks on the pavement. There is little chatter to be heard besides the sound of a distant radio from one of the nearby cottages and a dog’s somewhere within the area.
The children and staff are confined to their respective cottages, only circling the property to take a walk or to run errands. The public spaces where volunteers help out such as the learning center, playground, and rehabilitation center, are also quieter than usual.
Whenever guests would arrive, they are still welcomed at the reception in front of the empty parking lot. Mommy Lita, the founder of Chosen Children Inc., is invited to entertain them personally as reception staff are kept to a minimum.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on children and their rights. Many are out of school, while some are made more vulnerable to trafficking, child labor, and domestic abuse. Narrowing it down further, children with disabilities also struggle to access the therapy and special education that they need—emphasizing the role that institutions like Chosen Children play. Although its stay-out employees are the only ones regularly entering and exiting the village during the pandemic, this place still serves its purpose— to remain a safe haven, literally and figuratively, for the children who find refuge in it.