The Round Home in the Philippines was recently given a new bus to help continue the work to combat child trafficking and exploitation. But this also means saying goodbye to the old bus – a true friend that carried out the mission for over ten years with grace and honor.
The bus was a gentle cradle to even the smallest child as they were brought to safety after experiencing heartbreaking abuse. The little bus raced through the night to take sick children to hospitals, and carried others to courtrooms where justice was waiting to hear their voice.
It took children recovering from victimization on joyful outings to the far north, to the distant south, to see the world beyond their struggles, to laugh, to sing, to dream.
Our bus carried children and staff to celebrations of the children’s successes, from graduations to personal milestones, sharing in their joy every step of the way. With that bus, staff visited former children from the Round Home, now quite grown up and integrated into society. We stood by them in their challenges and victories, big and small.
Families have been reunited thanks to that little old bus that drove children back home to the places where their stories began. The children carried hope, and the bus carried the children.
