This question and answer session was conducted last October 23, 2019 during the Ribbon-cutting ceremony. In this interview, CEA’s Managing Director Ron Brown points out to CEA Communications Director Emmanuel Gonot the importance of the event and shares some significant updates on the different core programs of the mission.
Emmanuel Gonot: So, what’s the significance of today’s event?
Ron Brown: The significance of today’s event is the culmination of many years of planning and raising funds just to reach this point. We have had a clear vision and a clear goal and today we reached a point where we are beginning what we had planned and worked for, for a very long time.
At this point, we are still working with our registration and licensing with DSWD. That’s a very complicated process that we’re already involved in. We’re three quarters of the way probably through the process. Hopefully, we’ll finish that up very soon.
We’re continuing to construct additional homes. That would be for human trafficking potential victims. Also, we have two more homes beside that planned for a total of four homes for orphaned, abandoned, abused, and neglected children that we find here in our community.
Emmanuel Gonot: A while ago, we interviewed one of the government officials and they mentioned that they were about to fund a facility for human trafficking “at risk” children but that didn’t push through. Are you open to working with government agencies in that respect for human trafficking potential victims?
Ron Brown: We’re willing to accept children that meet our criteria. However, we generally have our own funding for supporting the children so we don’t necessarily need their support that way. We can use their support and other methods of services and assist us in other areas, of course. But, we do not necessarily need their financial support.
Emmanuel Gonot: I understand that the orphanage or this orphan care facility is one of the components of the mission, basically. From your point of view, is there an impact to church building, which is the main mission, by creating this orphanage? Does it make the work of evangelization easier for you?
Ron Brown: Yes. Always, when you do humanitarian aid, things for people, one of the first steps is to become their friend to show them that you have the right heart for the work that you’re doing, that you don’t have ulterior motives.
So by caring for the children, you’ve shown that you care for people, we care for their health, their shelter, their food, their education, their medical attention. So, we’re taking care of all these services for the children so that reflects also toward the community.
As we begin to try and teach them God’s word, show them God’s love, they already see that we’re practicing that.
Emmanuel Gonot: What will be the next steps for the orphanage? Are you accepting more children in the coming few weeks?
Ron Brown: Yes. This house will have a maximum capacity of sixteen children. At current time, we have two children that have been referred to us by DSWD. We have two children that are the house parent’s children so we still have availability for another twelve children in this home.
Emmanuel Gonot: How about the other programs of the mission like church building. Can you provide some updates about that?
Ron Brown: We currently contracted a welder to put us a temporary – temporary-permanent, we don’t know how long it will be used for; hopefully, it will be practical for quite some time – tent that will serve as the temporary worship service multi-function building. It doesn’t mean we can only worship, we need to do other activities in this structure, as well. So it’s a 18-foot by 36-foot structure that will have some basic lighting and vents so we can do multiple functions but also, primarily, worship services.
Emmanuel Gonot: The sustainability and community outreach, are you making progress in those areas, as well?
Ron Brown: We continue to make progress in the sustainability area because we’re constantly planting more trees, we’re constantly enriching our soil so we grow better vegetables. We’re working on those things that work best for us – those vegetables and things that work best for us in this area, we’re expanding that.
We will continue with our outreach to the community like we’ve been doing for the last three years. Those are just every so often that we do an outreach to the community to let them know that we’re here, we care about them. We provide some groceries and other necessities to them and their children.
So, we’ll continue with those efforts and also in our sustainability program also by producing more food that we can use ourselves. We can give that to the community, as well, to assist them in their life.
Emmanuel Gonot: So far, what kind of feedback have you been receiving from your supporters in the congregations in the U.S.? Now that you’ve come to this point that you’ve already formally opened the facility, are there any more encouraging feedback coming from the congregations in the U.S.?
Ron Brown: Oh, yes, very much so from our donors – they’re very excited, they’ve been following and keeping up with this for quite some time and faithfully, generously donating to our cause. They’re very happy that we finally reached this point. They’ve been patient with us and they’ve been faithful to continue their support, trusting us that we will reach this point. Now that we have, I think they’re very happy to see the children’s faces and soon they can see the transformation in their lives.
Emmanuel Gonot: Finally, do you have any message to members of churches of Christ in the United States to continue supporting or at least, to find out more about your mission?
Ron Brown: I would just encourage churches in the U.S. to check our website. There’s a wealth of information there about the programs that we offer or plan to offer in the future.
We’re very transparent, you can ask us any questions you like about our finances, about the operations here. Of course, they’re welcome to visit to see the facility and see the children that we have here in the care center already and to observe the project here as it is ongoing.
We are seeking support to find a minister for the, hopefully, community-erected church building, temporary church building. We are also seeking support for the children that will be added in the first children’s home.
As we complete the second children’s home, that will be with SAS (Save Asian Souls Foundation), girls vulnerable to human trafficking – they will also need support.
We also need a transportation vehicle for the children. At current time, we use the vehicles that are not quite as convenient for transporting the children to school and other activities. We’re trying to raise funds for a van, a good van that we can transport the children with.
So, all of those areas of need for us, of course, we need their continued support. We continue with the construction, we have many other structures planned so that we can fulfill our goals and vision for this project.