Happy Horizons Children's Ranch

Happy Horizons Children's Ranch

Happy Horizons Children’s Ranch is a humanitarian ministry of the Assemblies of God, Philippines. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation and defense of street children in the Philippines The Founding Directors, Glenn & Nancy Garrison are leading advocates of children's rights in the region. Happy Horizons monitors and cares for hundreds of street children, many of whom have been abandoned or orphaned by civil war, abused or rejected by dysfunctional and poverty-stricken families, and further traumatized by the indifference of the societies in which they live.

Ubiquitous and growing in numbers, many far too young to comprehend their fate, they beg, steal, and sell themselves for a hot meal, a hot shower, a clean bed. Living on the edge of survival, they are often swept in an undertow of beatings, illegal detentions, torture, sexual abuse, rape, and murder. Happy Horizons is dedicated to helping these children off the streets and back on the road to meaningful and productive lives. Last year, Happy Horizons gave assistance to hundreds of children through a four-tiered program that fosters stability and restores hope.

Street Outreach

The first step is to reach out to the kids. Happy Horizon's Outreach teams, provide street children with emergency medical care, counseling, non-formal education, and friendship. The children are then encouraged to leave the streets and seek further assistance at our Crisis Centers. Happy Horizon's goal is to get the children off the street -- not to provide food and clothing whilst they are on the street. The Outreach Team works with hundreds of street children each year in each of the major areas serviced.

Crisis Centers

Happy Horizons works with a number of Shelters, which provide the children with a structured and supportive environment. In the Crisis Centers, they are fed, clothed, given a clean bed, diagnostic and medical treatment, educational and vocational training, security, and most important of all -- love and hope. In addition, all are provided with drug counseling. Boys and girls take shelter every night in each of the Crisis Centers. Only about half of those who enter the Crisis Centers initially stay more than a couple of nights.

About half of the children who return to the streets will eventually re-enter Crisis Centers for an average stay of a few months. There, they actively participate in a development plan -- setting attainable goals for their short-term and medium-term future. Children also participate in non-formal educational activities, which prepare them for the public school system. Once the children become more stable, they move on to the next stage.

Transition Home

The long range plan for Happy Horizons is to provide a Transition Home that helps children develop long-range goals and inspire a desire for an independent and productive life. After their stay at Happy Horizons Children's Ranch, they will continue to be assisted with furthering education, job training and job placement to make sure theirs is a Happy Future.

Group Home

Perhaps the most important step in the arduous journey from despair to self-sufficiency involves residency in the Children’s Ranch where children are nurtured by a carefully chosen team of counselors who try to replicate a positive family environment. It is in such a setting that children learn to bond with a surrogate family while pursuing further educational or professional opportunities. Happy Horizons’ goal is to operate Children’s facilities throughout the Asia Pacific area, caring for both boys and girls. The children remain at the Ranch until their eighteenth birthday or until they have completed their education. When the children leave the home as young adults, they have vocational and life skills indispensable for independent living. They are encouraged to pursue formal education or more advanced job training.