How You Can Rescue a Child in the Philippines: Inside Agape MANNA Home’s Mission of Aruga and Hope
You Have the Power to Change a Child's Story
Right now, more than 1.8 million children in the Philippines are waiting for a hero. Someone to stand between them and a life of abandonment, abuse, or trafficking.
That hero could be you.
The Child Rescue Crisis in the Philippines
Every day, vulnerable Filipino children face unimaginable situations:
Babies are abandoned in trash heaps.
Newborns are born behind prison walls to incarcerated mothers.
Children are trapped in online sexual exploitation, one of the most severe forms of abuse in the world.
These are not distant statistics. They are real children, each with a name, a face, and a future that hangs in the balance.
Without help, they face ongoing trauma, poverty, and exploitation.
But there is hope, and you can be part of it.
Agape MANNA Home: A Safe Haven in the Heart of Manila
Founded in 2016 by Keith and Nhan McDougal, both former orphans, Agape MANNA Home was created to rescue vulnerable children and place them in loving, forever families.
Now recognized as the number one Christian orphanage in Manila, Agape MANNA Home is a beacon of hope where healing begins and futures are rewritten.
What Is Aruga? The Heart of True Healing
In Tagalog, aruga means tender, nurturing care—the deep and personal love that a mother gives her child. It describes attention that is patient, gentle, and constant.
At Agape MANNA Home, aruga is more than a word. It is a model of care that restores what trauma has broken.
The Agape MANNA Home Difference
1 caregiver for every 2 children, creating stable emotional bonds
Consistent caregivers who stay with the same children until adoption
Faith-based care built on Christ's compassion and unconditional love
This is not institutional care. It is family care that heals hearts and builds trust.
Your Partnership in Action: Real Stories of Rescue
But generous supporters stepped forward. Every diaper, every bottle of formula, and every moment of healing came because people like you chose to act.
Since 2016, Agape MANNA Home has transformed countless young lives, providing safety, love, and family for children who once had none.
The Real Cost of Child Rescue in the Philippines
Providing 24-hour, personalized, trauma-informed care requires ongoing support.
Here is how your giving makes a direct impact:
200+ diapers used daily to keep children clean and comfortable
$400 weekly for formula to ensure proper nutrition
$18,000+ monthly for caregiver salaries, facilities, and medical needs
Agape MANNA Home is also raising funds to build on-site caregiver housing so that 24 dedicated caregivers can stay close and continue providing aruga every day.
Every dollar you give does more than meet a need. It helps rewrite a child's story from abandonment to belonging.
Donate to Rescue a Child in Manila →
Give Where It Matters Most
Your donation supports:
One-on-one aruga from trained caregivers
Nutritious meals and medical care
A loving, Christ-centered environment
The caregiver housing project that ensures continuous, nurturing care
Together, we can rescue more children, support our caregivers, and build a future full of hope.
Some Recent Praises
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All of our babies are out of the hospital and doing well! Little Timmy’s medical report came back showing that he does not have hydrocephalus—praising God! He is beginning to make good progress and would appreciate your continued prayers. God gave us a premie Marcos(picture above) and he has grown into a healthy, cute little 3 mos old boy.
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We prayed for six new churches to come alongside us in this vital work, and God has graciously provided three amazing partners so far. We are confident the remaining churches will join us within the year. Ministry partnerships often take time, and we trust God’s perfect timing in bringing the right churches alongside us.
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Praise God for answering our prayers! Many of our older children have been adopted over the past few months. Even more exciting, several of the new parents received Christ on the day of entrustment as they heard the Gospel. Thank you for praying for these families and for the children now starting their new journeys.
You Are the Hero This Story Needs
Every child at Agape MANNA Home began in darkness, but their story does not have to end there.
With your support:
Abandoned children become beloved
Babies born in prison cells experience freedom and family
Young lives marked by trauma find healing through love and stability
Will you stand in the gap for a child who cannot stand for themselves? Will you help provide the aruga, the deep, nurturing care, that every child deserves?
The children are waiting. The caregivers are ready. The mission is clear.
All that is missing is you.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Agape MANNA Home rescues orphaned, abandoned, and trafficked children throughout the Philippines. It provides trauma-informed care, consistent caregivers (aruga), and a safe Christian environment until each child is placed with a forever family through adoption.
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Unlike traditional institutional settings, Agape MANNA Home maintains a 1:2 caregiver-to-child ratio. Each caregiver stays with the same children until adoption, promoting emotional healing and trust through consistent, loving care.
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You can make a financial donation to cover operational costs such as formula, diapers, caregiver salaries, and facility maintenance. You can also help fund the new on-site housing project for caregivers or give monthly for sustainable support.
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Yes. Agape MANNA Home was founded in 2016 by Keith and Nhan McDougal and has been rated the number one orphanage in Manila. It operates as a Christian ministry under MANNA Worldwide, providing faith-based care while working toward permanent family placement.
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Agape MANNA Home serves vulnerable children throughout the Philippines, expanding as resources allow. During COVID-19, they grew from 7 to 20 children, demonstrating a commitment to never turn away a child in need when supporters make rescue possible.