A CHILDREN’S halfway home will be inaugurated April 1 in Dagupan City.

Mrs. Gina de Venecia, wife of Speaker Joe de Venecia will open the Haven for Children a regional center for children located in Brgy. Bonuan-Binloc that will serve as “a home away from home” for the neglected children in the region, specifically Pangasinan.

“Here, we hope to address the needs of abandoned children in rural communities. We will rehabilitate tem, restore their self-worth and heal the wounds that have been inflicted on their tender bodies and their innocent hearts,.” Mrs. de Venecia, president of the Congressional Spouses Foundation (CSF) explained the objectives of the project.

Two years ago, de Venecia turned her eyes to the plight of the street children. These are the orphans, abandoned, hungry, drug-dependent, and hopeless children.

In January 2004, The Haven for Children, a complex of nine buildings located in Muntinlupa City, opened its doors and signaled a powerful new initiative to take children—ages 6 to 14—off the harsh streets of Metro Manila into its caring environment.

Mrs. de Venecia is extending that help to neglected children in the countryside. Two other regional centers for children will be inaugurated this month in Tarlac City and Solana, Cagayan.

Mrs. de Venecia has been president of CSFI for almost ten years. Aside from The Haven for Children, she is also credited for funding The Haven for Women and its 15 regional centers, nationwide, for the rehabilitation of abused women.