Celebrating nine years: Arnold Janssen Kalinga Foundation's mission to serve Manila's homeless

“More than a right, serving the poor has and will always be a privilege,” Father Flavie L. Villanueva, the founder of Arnold Janssen Kalingan Foundation. 

On July 17, the Arnold Janssen Kalinga Foundation for the Homeless in Manila, Philippines, marked nine years of providing dignified, systematic, and holistic care to the city's wounded and homeless.

“More than a right, serving the poor has and will always be a privilege,” says Father Flavie L. Villanueva, the founder and a Divine Word missionary.

He views the foundation as an opportunity to recognize Jesus in the wounded and outcast in today's modern age.

“Each time we feed and clothe the homeless, I experience Jesus. That is enough for me,” said Villanueva, a social activist.

He urged others to entrust the homeless they cannot care for to the Arnold Janssen Kalinga Foundation, promising to provide dignified and holistic care.

Villanueva founded the Arnold Janssen Kalinga Foundation, Inc. in 2015, named after the German saint who established the Society of the Divine Word and other organizations.

During its initial phase, the foundation fed at least one hundred homeless people daily on the streets of Manila.

This number has since increased to over 200, with many now having access to beds and shelter at centers across the capital.

The foundation's goal is to provide warmth, happiness, and camaraderie to those without family or home. Its name, "Kalinga," which translates to "a hot meal and a bath a day" from the phrase "Kain-Ligo-Nang-Ayos," encapsulates its mission.

After officially registering with the government on March 8, 2017, the foundation took on its current form.

Villanueva sees it as a symbol of hope for many marginalized individuals who long for a society where no one is left behind and everyone is treated with dignity.

Echoing the sentiments of Pope Francis, Villanueva says, "The foundation's members want to provide opportunities for those on the periphery of society, the hungry and thirsty, the outcasts and the abandoned."

Besides food and a hot bath, the foundation offers career training, spiritual growth, and educational opportunities.

The "3 Hs"—help, home, and hope—unite visitors, ex-offenders, and others with nowhere else to go.

Christopher Castro (name changed), a former inmate, shared how the foundation changed his life, restoring his lost dignity.

He participates in the foundation's 'Open Hearts and Minds' rehabilitation program, which offers hope to those in need.

Castro aspires to inspire others with his story of homelessness and self-redemption.

The foundation relies on the efforts of volunteers like Lilibeth Ma Grace Calderon, who sees her work as an opportunity to "meet Jesus and serve the last ones."

Christine Rego (name changed) learned the importance of faith while working closely with the marginalized.

She emphasizes the lesson to never give up and to trust in God's plans, regardless of life's difficulties.

"I realized," she says, "how important it is to strive to be a good person and spread positivity in every way possible."