The People's Recovery Empowerment Development Assistance Foundation, commonly referred to as the PREDA Foundation or PREDA, is a charitable organization that was founded in Olongapo City, Philippines in 1974. Its purposes include the promotion and protection of the dignity and the Human Rights of the Filipino people, especially of women and children. The main focus is to assist the sexually-exploited and abused children.
History
Father Shay Cullen is a Catholic missionary priest from Dublin, Ireland, a member of the Missionary Society of St. Columban. He helped found the charity in 1974 along with Alex Corpus Hermoso and Merly Ramirez. Since then, Fr. Shay Cullen has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize twice.
Preda Foundation and Fr. Shay Cullen were awarded the prestigious Human Rights Award from the City of Weimar, in Germany.
In 2012, the PREDA Foundation spoke out about the case of the 52,000 Amerasians in the Philippines, the children from soldiers of the US Army settlements in the country who did not get legal recognition of their origins from their own government.
Description
The Preda Foundation is licensed and accredited by the Philippine government. The Preda Foundation is dedicated to the protection of children and working for social transformation and a just and corrupt free society. It has worked to prevent children being locked in small, cramped jails without basic rights. Preda has been actively involved in helping victims of the human trafficking and sex slave trade in the Angeles City. Preda has been involved in promoting and defending the Rights of Children and their Defenders. Preda cooperates closely with international legal tribunals Interpol and the UN Commission on Human Rights.
The PREDA Foundation provides rescue, treatment and recovery for sexually and physically abused children. It investigates and prosecutes abusers, to prevent and protect children and youth against child abuse, substance abuse and AIDS. The foundation helps families in being self-reliant, promotes livelihood training and employment with just wages by providing capital, interest free loans, technical assistance to producers and markets through the Fair Trade Movement and the commercial market. The foundation also works with media to develop public awareness and protect children.