History
_ NORFIL’s history dates back in the early 70’s to a Norwegian
family (Ebbe and Berit Gronvold and their four children) who devoted their free
time as volunteers in a child caring institution in Pampanga. Upon the family’s
return to Norway in 1976, funds from friends and schoolmates of their children
were solicited to continue helping children through Angela Maria (Beth) Pangan,
a retired social worker from the Department of Social Welfare (DSW). Beth
Pangan discovered that most of the children in that institution were from poor
farming families in the different provinces in Central Luzon. This started the
goal of helping children through community organizing and development work. In
1981, the funds were used by the first group of mothers who were organized by
Ms. Pangan with the help of social workers of DSW Bulacan Branch to engage in
sewing, hog raising, and handicraft projects in two depressed villages of
Baliuag. Inspired by their success, other barangays in Malolos and Angat
followed.
The enthusiastic response of the communities and the success of the projects motivated Berit Gronvold to seek financial support from the Norwegian government. In 1983, Beth Pangan organized NORFIL Foundation, Inc. and in 1984 with the receipt of funds from NORAD, the Integrated Family and Community Development (IFCD) was launched in Bulacan. Aimed at empowering and sustaining families and communities through people, village management committees were organized to act as partners to facilitate the implementation of the different IFCD projects on health, family watch, youth program, infrastructure, livelihood credit assistance and the setting up of day care centers. IFCD Cebu was also started as a relief and rehabilitation program to alleviate the suffering of typhoon- stricken residents in two villages, Babag and Calawisan in 1985. This demonstrated the use of disaster funds for social development. Hence it became a regular IFCD program after the emergency phase.
In October 1985, the Integrated Family and Child Welfare (IFCW) for disadvantaged single mothers and abandoned and neglected children was implemented in the National Capital Region (NCR). The Foster Care Service and the Home for Unwed Mothers were a response to the increasing incidence of abortion, unwanted pregnancy and neglected and abandoned children who would have been placed in institutions. Foster Care was developed as the needed alternative parental care strategy. A few years later, foster care and an additional home for single mothers were put up in Cebu to respond to the growing number of unwed pregnancies and neglected and abandoned children.
The program for the mentally retarded and other handicapped children and youth, now known as Community- Based Rehabilitation (CBR) for children and youth with disabilities was established in 1986 in Bulacan and was aimed at reaching out to families of children with disabilities to better equip them with knowledge and techniques and, eventually involve them in the rehabilitation of their children. A parents association, “AKAPIN” was organized several years later. This group has emerged as a vital partner of NORFIL in advocacy and outreach. In 1992, a similar CBR program was implemented in Lapu- Lapu City and nearby municipalities. Eventually, CBR Program expanded its operation in Nueva Ecija (2002); in Batangas (2003); in mainland Cebu (2005); and in Mindoro Oriental (2010).
Through years of direct service work and experience in CBR, foster care, working with single mothers, and case management, NORFIL has set up the NORFIL Training and Research Center (NTRC) as its means of sharing its experiences and learning to other social work and development field workers. This spurred the construction of the NORFIL Training Center Building funded by NORAD in 2000. The name NORFIL honors the government of Norway thru NORAD that has funded our programs from 1984 to 2001. The lessons learned through these years of partnership, rendered a good track record in social development so NORFIL could survive today and hopefully in the years ahead!
In 2003, after having revisited its Vision- Mission- Goal, NORFIL redirected and narrowed its focus on the following programs: Foster Care, Community- Based Rehabilitation (CBR) for Children and Youth with Disability, Community- Based Counseling and Group Home for Single Expectant Girls/ Mothers cum Nursery, the NORFIL Training and Research Center and Liaison Service for Inter- country Adoption. NORFIL’s Domestic Adoption Program was born in 2009 to provide Filipinos and expatriates (residents here for at least 3 years) the opportunity to adopt a Filipino child. Through NORFIL’s experience and reputation that has become known nationwide, in some countries in Asia and the world, funding support for these programs were quite successful.
We are grateful to (CBM) Christoffel Blinden Mission, (Germany) and (Australia) who has been funding NORFIL’s CBR programs in Batangas and the island provinces of Cebu and Mindoro Oriental.
ADOPSJONSFORUM, Norway continues to support the Foster Care program with assist from the fund raising group led by Berit Gronvold. This is supplemented with funds from Bay Area Adoption Services, USA (BAAS) and the Societe Formons Une Famille, Canada.
The Training Center programs are funded by SIDA and AdoptionCentrum, Sweden for several years now.
The NORFIL Home for Single Mothers is being funded partially by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, with local and foreign donations.
Individual donors continue to take interests in NORFIL’s programs. For example, a Norwegian family engaged in shipping is a supplemental donor for a special project that empowers social workers working in orphanages nationwide in case management so children do not stay too long in care. A small outfit, Sister Families Foundation in Canada is funding the Domestic Adoption Program.
The enthusiastic response of the communities and the success of the projects motivated Berit Gronvold to seek financial support from the Norwegian government. In 1983, Beth Pangan organized NORFIL Foundation, Inc. and in 1984 with the receipt of funds from NORAD, the Integrated Family and Community Development (IFCD) was launched in Bulacan. Aimed at empowering and sustaining families and communities through people, village management committees were organized to act as partners to facilitate the implementation of the different IFCD projects on health, family watch, youth program, infrastructure, livelihood credit assistance and the setting up of day care centers. IFCD Cebu was also started as a relief and rehabilitation program to alleviate the suffering of typhoon- stricken residents in two villages, Babag and Calawisan in 1985. This demonstrated the use of disaster funds for social development. Hence it became a regular IFCD program after the emergency phase.
In October 1985, the Integrated Family and Child Welfare (IFCW) for disadvantaged single mothers and abandoned and neglected children was implemented in the National Capital Region (NCR). The Foster Care Service and the Home for Unwed Mothers were a response to the increasing incidence of abortion, unwanted pregnancy and neglected and abandoned children who would have been placed in institutions. Foster Care was developed as the needed alternative parental care strategy. A few years later, foster care and an additional home for single mothers were put up in Cebu to respond to the growing number of unwed pregnancies and neglected and abandoned children.
The program for the mentally retarded and other handicapped children and youth, now known as Community- Based Rehabilitation (CBR) for children and youth with disabilities was established in 1986 in Bulacan and was aimed at reaching out to families of children with disabilities to better equip them with knowledge and techniques and, eventually involve them in the rehabilitation of their children. A parents association, “AKAPIN” was organized several years later. This group has emerged as a vital partner of NORFIL in advocacy and outreach. In 1992, a similar CBR program was implemented in Lapu- Lapu City and nearby municipalities. Eventually, CBR Program expanded its operation in Nueva Ecija (2002); in Batangas (2003); in mainland Cebu (2005); and in Mindoro Oriental (2010).
Through years of direct service work and experience in CBR, foster care, working with single mothers, and case management, NORFIL has set up the NORFIL Training and Research Center (NTRC) as its means of sharing its experiences and learning to other social work and development field workers. This spurred the construction of the NORFIL Training Center Building funded by NORAD in 2000. The name NORFIL honors the government of Norway thru NORAD that has funded our programs from 1984 to 2001. The lessons learned through these years of partnership, rendered a good track record in social development so NORFIL could survive today and hopefully in the years ahead!
In 2003, after having revisited its Vision- Mission- Goal, NORFIL redirected and narrowed its focus on the following programs: Foster Care, Community- Based Rehabilitation (CBR) for Children and Youth with Disability, Community- Based Counseling and Group Home for Single Expectant Girls/ Mothers cum Nursery, the NORFIL Training and Research Center and Liaison Service for Inter- country Adoption. NORFIL’s Domestic Adoption Program was born in 2009 to provide Filipinos and expatriates (residents here for at least 3 years) the opportunity to adopt a Filipino child. Through NORFIL’s experience and reputation that has become known nationwide, in some countries in Asia and the world, funding support for these programs were quite successful.
We are grateful to (CBM) Christoffel Blinden Mission, (Germany) and (Australia) who has been funding NORFIL’s CBR programs in Batangas and the island provinces of Cebu and Mindoro Oriental.
ADOPSJONSFORUM, Norway continues to support the Foster Care program with assist from the fund raising group led by Berit Gronvold. This is supplemented with funds from Bay Area Adoption Services, USA (BAAS) and the Societe Formons Une Famille, Canada.
The Training Center programs are funded by SIDA and AdoptionCentrum, Sweden for several years now.
The NORFIL Home for Single Mothers is being funded partially by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, with local and foreign donations.
Individual donors continue to take interests in NORFIL’s programs. For example, a Norwegian family engaged in shipping is a supplemental donor for a special project that empowers social workers working in orphanages nationwide in case management so children do not stay too long in care. A small outfit, Sister Families Foundation in Canada is funding the Domestic Adoption Program.
