Our Global Partners in the Philippines

Our Global Partners in the Philippines

Gentle Hands

Gentle Hands is a child and youth welfare agency on the front lines of rescue and rehabilitation. The organization was founded many years ago and today Gentle Hands is dedicated to helping the urban people of the Philippines by meeting the medical, social and educational needs of at-risk minors. Gentle Hands desires to improve human life and communities through the love of Jesus and family centred care. At present Gentle Hands employs over 30 staff and cares for 150 babies and children who are in various stages of rehabilitation, legal paperwork, adoption and reunification.

Metro World Child

Metro World Child (MWC), reaches children in the Philippines living in abject poverty. In Manila whole communities live in the city’s garbage dumps. It is heartbreaking to see children and their families searching for food among the garbage. Many children grow up without education because their parents cannot afford to send them to school.

Metro World Philippines partners with local churches to reach more than 20,000 impoverished and neglected children through their Sunday School program and visitation. Each week the children are able to hear about and receive God’s free gift of salvation, some for the first time. They realize they have a hope and a future. MWC values intentional, one-on-one relationships with the children. They believe some of a child’s most basic needs are met in the context of being actively involved in their daily life. In the heart of every child is the desire to know that they are loved. Through these programs MWC is able to provide hope and build futures.

How do we partner together? Each year CA Church is committed to sending a short-term mission team to serve alongside these organizations in the Philippines. As a church we also support Gentle Hands monthly to help cover operational expenses.

Charity Graff

After starting an educational program for boys on the street in early 2000, later Charity and her husband, Evan Graff, took over the administration of Gentle Hands from Charity’s parents. Charity is now the Executive Director of Gentle Hands Inc. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Lee University in Christian Ministries. In 2013, she received her Master’s in Social Work from Asian Seminary for Christian Ministries and finished her Master’s thesis entitled “Social Work and Caregiver Practices that Promote Attachment of Children Who Have Experienced Trauma”. Charity has also received extensive training and attended numerous seminars on trauma and attachment & play therapy. She believes strongly in providing holistic interventions to children who come from traumatic situations and advocates for the rights of children and the poor. As Executive Director, Charity oversees all aspects of Jason’s Home and Home of Grace (formerly known as Baby Ann’s Mission), including case management, staff trainings & management, daily operations, education, counselling, teams & volunteers, the medical unit, rescue & rehabilitation, reunification, foster care and adoption. Charity and her husband are a wonderful example of how you can utilize God’s gift of knowledge to show God’s love to those most in need and offer long term poverty alleviation to those who are orphaned by providing holistic care. Charity exemplifies God’s character to the children at Gentle Hands by loving each of them as her own and by unceasingly sharing with them of their Heavenly Father above.

Riet Duyshart

Riet is a missionary who works with Metro World Child in the Philippines. As a child she had always dreamed about becoming teacher and helping children in need, especially those who had been abandoned. She desperately wanted to share of God’s love with those who felt rejected. Originally an accountant from the Netherlands, Riet started working with Metro in New York after hearing Pastor Bill speak at a conference. Eventually, by faith, Riet accepted the responsibility to serve as the director in the Philippines. She feels privileged to see the great results of what the Lord is doing and rejoices in witnessing the fruit of Metro Philippines. She is able to fulfill the dreams God has given her by watching children become leaders, teachers and pastors of this next generation. They are sharing and doing for others, what others have shared and done for them, and often even more.