On February 27th 2014, the staff of Good Shepherd Welcome House welcomed the United States Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg and USAID Mission Director for the Philippines and the Pacific Islands Gloria Steele.
The visit began with a quick briefing from the Peace Corps-Philippines Director Denny Robertson who introduced me to Gloria Steele. We were able to chat while waiting for the Ambassador and apparently USAID has a grant that GSWH may be eligible to apply for. Her advice? Ask for more money.
Before we knew it security was arriving to scope out the center and Filipino police were re-directing traffic. I was able to greet the ambassador outside and escort him into the center. Our staff shared about our various programs and I presented the work my counterpart and I have accomplished thus far raising awareness on human trafficking in the community. We then listened to a few testimonials from former beneficiaries who were victims of sex trafficking. One is now working as an experiential outreach worker for the European Union and another is studying social work so that she can help more girls.
The Ambassador was very attentive and encouraging. He thanked us for the work that we do and wished us well. It was a proud day for Good Shepherd Welcome House.
