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BACKGROUND TO
BCA (BETHLEHEM COMMUNITIES AUSTRALIA)
 Fr.
John Iacono , an Australian priest, first visited the
Philippines in the 1980s as a missionary. One of his many
duties was to provide pastoral care for the prisoners in the
city jails of Cebu City.
During the course of his work he discovered that a large
number of prisoners originated from a small town in Cebu
called Inayawan.
It was the site of the garbage tip known as Smokey
Mountain (not to be confused with Smokey Mountain in
Manila) where families scavenged for daily subsistence. He
later found out that small children, some as young as 3 years old, were
forced to work there, scavenging on the tip to earn a few pesos to
help the family buy food . Inayawan is
a local word meaning 'unwanted, unloved, rejected' ie a
'dumpsite'.
 About
this time, he met another Catholic Priest, Fr. Heinz
Kuluke, an SVD, missionary priest from Germany , who
also knew of Smokey Mountain at Inayawan. Initially the
authorities denied that these places existed in Cebu but one
evening Fr Heinz followed a rubbish truck which ended up at
Inayawan.
There he found about 200 families living in cardboard and
tin sheds and survived from scavenging on the tip. For a month
he lived and worked side by side with the families to work out
ways to help them. He was witness to some of the 20 annual
child deaths caused by sickness, infections and
malnutrition.
In 1992, he set up a Day Care Centre for children which
initially worked for about a month before attendance started to fall.
Parents just could not earn enough to feed their
families if the children are not scavenging also.
Following discussions between the two priests, it was
agreed to give each child some rice to take home after school
each afternoon to compensate for the food which they could not
provide by scavenging. From that point on the project
flourished.
 For
more than ten years, half of all children from the dump site
were cared for and the results were very positive. The
'graduates' of the first intake are now young adults and
through their education and new opportunities they have not
returned to the dump site. In the Filipino way of sharing
their good fortune, they went on to help many others.
After some years, the lease on the original Day Care Centre
came close to lapsing so a new facility was needed. Fr. John
felt that a more permanent structure was needed.
Enter Ron and Maria Natoli with their building
expertise and boundless energy. After their first life changing
visit in August 2001, they and their family set about
helping Fr. John to raise funds to build a new day Care
Centre. Along with many Australian supporters, over $400,000
was raised. First the land was bought, followed by the
building of a sturdier and more permanent concrete structure
which was able to cater for all of the
children of Inayawan, (approximately 160 children). Fr John's
dream has come true!
 The new Bethlehem Day Care Centre opened in January
2004 with lots of fanfare. It was here that the Australian group
first met the celebrated University of the Visayas Choir which
later on became part of BCA's life.
BDCCFI (Bethlehem Day Care Foundation Inc) was
established in the Philippines with a core purpose of
continually providing for the Centre. Bethlehem means "House
of Bread" and this is their focus: to provide spiritual
and material food for the future of the most disadvantaged
children. The Gospel Motto is, 'I assure you , as often as you
did it to the least of my brothers, you did it to me'.
(Matthew 25: 46)
Positive outcomes from the Building of the Day Care Centre
include:
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Over 1500 children have attended the Centre since
the first one opened in 1992. |
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All have gone on to attend Primary and High
School |
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The number of jail inmates originating from Smokey
Mountain has decreased |
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Child mortality in the area has reduced dramatically
(two years from establishment, no children have died) |
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Parents participate in the running of the Day Care
Centre and as a result have learnt about hygiene, moral
and Christian values. |
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Bethlehem Day Care Centre is an approved NGO
(Non-government Organization) and an incorporated Foundation. Its website is http://www.bdcc.cjb.net/ |
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An organization called CAPA (Cebu Archdiocesan Prison Apostolate) was
established. Its mission is to look after the prisoner's welfare. With the full backing of Cardinal
Vidal, CAPA was integrated into Cebu Caritas and is a non
profit registered NGO. Its outreach program is the
Inayawan dumpsite where it focuses on education as the
key to improvement. Over 200 new families still
scavenge there. CAPA is one of BCA's partners in the San Pio Program |
Since 2001, many Australians have visited Cebu as part of
the "Bethlehem awareness program" witnessing the inherent
problems of poverty. Their tour always include Inawayan and
the Day Care Centre. The heightened interest and commitment
has resulted in the more formal development of BCA (Bethlehem
Communities Australia) which became Incorporated in June
2005.
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BCA is made up of "everyday" Australians who are
committed to making a difference to the world. Through BCA , members have been touched by the grace and
humbleness of many disadvantaged people whom they have
met. They feel privileged to be involved; it has
resulted in their own lives being enriched as well as
making a difference to others.
The Board of
Directors is composed of the following:
FR JOHN
IACONO - Patron
Fr John Iacono has lived and worked in the
Philippines since 1982 (except for a few years break in
Australia ). Among his many early missionary tasks, was
to offer pastoral care to prisoners. This work led him
to the local rubbish tips where he became committed to
helping the many marginalized families who lived there.
His dream to open a Day Care Centre for the children of
these families to break the poverty cycle has come true
twice! The first centre opened in 1992 and the second
more permanent one in January 2004. Over
1500 children have attended these Centres and all have
gone on to attend Primary and High School. He is the
first link in our work in the Philippines.]
RON NATOLI
- Chairman
Ron has had extensive experience in the building
trade for over 40 years. He saw the need to help after
his first visit to Cebu with his wife Maria in August
2001 and has not stopped ever since! Commencing with fund
raising for the Day Care Centre, he has been a stalwart
supporter and visionary of "Bethlehem" and all its
projects.
MARIA NATOLI - Secretary
Maria is a great asset to BCA. With Ron, she heard
"the cry of the poor" and has always been a constant
support to the organization from thereon. Never tiring
and always enthusiastic, she has witnessed first hand
the changes to the day-to-day life of the children and
parents of "Smokey Mountain".
LANCE
BROOKS - Director
Lance started Communities for Communities (C4C) 3
years ago. C4C is about building, experiencing and
celebrating community within our own communities as well
as reaching out and helping other communities. His
wide variety of local fund raising activities as well
as helping build 9 schools in the Burmese/Thai border
express these exact sentiments. C4C is a proud supporter
and benefactor of
the San Pio Village project.
VICKI KASSOUF -
Director
Vicki is unstoppable! Forever the pilgrim, Vicki
travels widely for her studies and research, but always
adds a positive contribution to meetings and assists
enthusiastically with fundraising events.
JOE EL-KHOURY -
Director
Joe is the Deputy Principal of St. Aloysius Junior
School. He has visited the Philippines many times
through the "immersion" program that is run at St.
Aloysius for the senior students. This has given him a
very good understanding and experience in
poverty-related issues.
MAX RAIOLA - Director
Max is a certified practicing accountant and tax
agent for 25 years. He has a Bachelor of Business degree
and has been a member of the BCA Board since its
inception. Max is a valued member and is always
available to offer support whenever it is needed.
CHRIS VERGARA - Director
Chris has now been with BCA for over a year and is
proving to be an asset to the organization with his
knowledge and contacts in Cebu. He is a past President
of Banag-Banag Association - a Filipino organization
which is also very supportive of BCA and its projects.
ROS BRADLEY
- Honorary Consultant
Ros was the former secretary of BCA. She has worked
with several charities including the "Fred Hollows
Foundation". Currently she is involved in inter-faith
dialogue and has compiled and edited the ABC books
publication, "Mosaic: favourite prayers and reflections
from inspiring Australians". Part of the proceeds of
Mosaic will be donated to BCA.
For more info about the book, go to
www.mosaicbook.com.au
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