PALO, Leyte—The Pope Francis Center for the Poor has launched the Supporters Association Membership in order to generate fund for its daily operations.
Each member who will register will be asked to donate $1 every month.
Palo Archbishop John Du said this is a small amount, but can change the lives and lot of those living in the center.
“With that amount, they are doing all the works for us. They are the ones who take care of the elderly and the abandoned children,” Du said.
The donations will also finance the construction of a clinic with a dialysis machine for poor patients.
The center is targeting to keep under their care 150 less privileged disaster victims, consisting of 50 elderly male, 50 elderly female and 50 orphaned children.
The Pontifical Council Cor Unum funded the construction of the P68-million facility. This was pushed through after Cardinal Robert Sarah visited the Archdiocese of Palo as part of preparations for Pope Francis’s visit.
The Pontifical Council Cor Unum for Human and Christian Development is a dicastery of the Roman Vuria of the Catholic Church. It was established by Pope Paul VI in July 1971 and is based in Rome.
The facility, located inside the compound of Archbishop Palace, was among the places toured by Pope Francis when he visited Leyte on January 17, 2015.
The center is under the supervision and management of Korean priest Philip Park and Korean nuns with help from Filipino volunteers and missionaries.
Currently the center has 14 occupants: An elderly male, a child and 12 elderly women assessed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.