What is Gota de Leche

La Proteccion de la Infancia, Inc., which was registered in 1907 oldest citizen-led charity organization in the Philippines. It is known historically as Gota de Leche, the program established by feminists and patriots in Manila in 1906. It has provided nutrition support to indigent malnourished children and breastfeeding mothers for more that 115 years, uninterrupted operations through World War II, through epidemics and disasters. Its achievements include the establishment of the first non-commercial dairy farm in the Philippines, the first puericulture/ health centers, and in 1946 the first pediatric hospital (Manila Children’s Hospital) in the country. After Supertyphoon Haiyan/Yolanda hit the country in 2013, Gota de Leche began relief outreach programs in cooperation with NGO partners, benefiting thousands of geographically isolated and vulnerable families in Northern and Central Luzon, the Visayas, and the Cordillera Autonomous Region. Gota de Leche has been duly registered and licensed to operate by the Department of Social Welfare and Development and is legally qualified to receive donations and implement government-funded projects. It is located in the Gota de Leche Heritage Building in Manila, which was declared an Important Cultural Property by the National Museum of the Philippines in 2014.

What We Do

We are committed to helping to satisfy the nutritional needs of indigent Filipino children and their mothers. Gota de Leche continues to work tirelessly to accomplish its mission of compassion and sustenance by providing free meals and medical attention. For over a century, Gota de Leche has continued its mission through wars, famine, disease, economic and political upheavals.

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Who We Are

Board Of trustees


board-of-trustees

Amaryllis T. Torres

President
board-of-trustees

Rebecca N. Tanada

Vice President
board-of-trustees

Joaquin E. Quintos IV

Treasurer
board-of-trustees

Virginia B. Viray

Secretary

Members


members

Jose Paulo E. Campos

members

Paolo Salvador A. Grijalvo

members

Juliana M. Luz

members

Regina Cowell

Committee


committee

Mark Lawrence Cedula

Social Worker
committee

Irene Leung-Sarabia

Admin Officer

EX-Officio


ex-officio

Anna Leah Sarabia

Managing Executive
ex-officio

Mika S. Sarmiento

Representative of Secretariat for General Assembly
ex-officio

PJS LAW

Legal Counsel
ex-officio

R.T. Belarmino & Co.,

CPAs
External Auditors

Where To Find Us

Gota de Leche is located at #859 S.H. Loyola St., Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines 1008

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Symbol of a heritage of service

The remarkable historical legacy of Gota de Leche is symbolized by the Gota de Leche building, a declared national heritage site. Conservation efforts of Gota de Leche’s duty-bearers resulted in a citation by the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards in 2003. These efforts were further supported by grants from the National Commission on Culture and the Arts.

Students, artists and other community organizations are allowed to make use of Gota de Leche’s facilities at friendly rates. This encourages more people to discover the historical significance of Gota de Leche as an initiative of patriots who, more than 100 years ago, served the country by saving the lives of thousands of children. Note: Gota de Leche is not affiliated with other organizations that share its name.

Vision

To be a dynamic and sustainable organization respected and recognized for its commitment to promote the health and well-being of children and mothers which is vital to the over-all well-being of society.

Mission

La Protección de la Infacia Inc. exists to provide nutrition support of malnourished indigent children with milk and other nutrients, through the Gota de Leche program, and to promote the health and total well-being of children and mothers through information and services.

Gota de Leche is a member of:

  • Area Based Standard Network (ABSNET)
  • National Museum of the Philippines – Important Cultural Property Marker
  • Philippine Coalition on Volunteerism Inc. (PhilCV)