The Lay Mission Program of the Gualandi Mission for the Deaf
Brief History of the Mission for the Deaf and GVSP
The Gualandi Mission for the Deaf was founded by
Venerable Joseph Gualandi in Bologna, Italy and was officially established in 1872 as a religious congregation of Priests, Sisters, Brothers, Deaf Sisters, and Deaf Brothers. From Italy, the Mission spread to Brazil in December 1973 and to the Philippines in Cebu and Manila in October 1988. The members of the Congregation, called the Gualandians whose mission is to enable the Deaf to grow and develop as independent, integrated, fully human and empowered citizens in the hearing society and in the Church, have established the Gualandi Social Center for Deaf to meet the socio-economic, educational, and psycho-spiritual needs of the Deaf. Part of the program is the Gualandi Volunteer Service Programme (GVSP), whose raison d'être is to train and form volunteers and/or Lay Missionaries so as to augment human resources for the delivery of service to the Deaf Community. 
GVSP is the lay mission arm of the Congregation of the Mission for the Deaf in Cebu City, Philippines. It was conceived on the 15th of August 2004 by a small group of volunteers already working side by side with fathers, brothers and sisters of the Mission for the Deaf in Cebu City. GVSP came into being in a seminar workshop on Volunteer Program Development and Management sponsored by the Voluntary Service Overseas-Bahaginan (VSO Bahaginan) held at Searsolin, Xavier University, Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines last August 2004, together with six other organizations aspiring to set-up or strengthen its existing volunteer programs.The representatives and volunteers from the Gualandi Mission for the Deaf who attended this seminar came up with the idea of strengthening the existing volunteer group of the Gualandi Mission for the Deaf by creating a program or structure for the volunteers of the Mission for the Deaf, giving birth to what is called now as the “Gualandi Volunteer Service Programme” or “GVSP”; namesake of the founder of the Congregation of the Little Mission for the Deaf; Venerable Fr. Joseph Gualandi.
After some series of workshops, consultations, coordination meetings, retreats and group reflection, the Gualandian Volunteers decided to formally register the group and to take up a legal identity of its own apart from the Gualandi Mission for the Deaf. GVSP is legally recognized by the Republic of the Philippines under the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a non-profit, non-stock organization. GVSP is officially registered at SEC under the categories of Religious/Faith-based and Volunteer Service Program organization.
The following is the beacon that guides GVSP in its work and programs…
GVSP Vision
A group of volunteers who in being fully human and fully Christian share a love-life relationship with the Deaf as a Friend and Sister/Brother.
GVSP Mission
To enable the Deaf to grow and develop as independent, integrated, fully human, fully Christian and empowered citizens in the hearing society and in the Church through volunteering efforts.
GVSP Goal
To establish a pool of volunteers/lay missionaries who are able to discern, internalize, and articulate his/her response to God from a free decision to total personal commitment as volunteers for/with/to the Deaf.
GVSP Core Values
The GVSP aims to train and form lay volunteers with the necessary knowledge, skills and values to become competent & creative persons; who are open to change; having a deep sense of justice and faith bringing about communion expressed in their concern and commitment to the service of the disadvantage especially to the Deaf.”
Objectives
This volunteer service program provides a system for recruitment, assessment & screening, training & formation, placement monitoring and regular evaluation for the volunteers with the main aim of helping the volunteers to:
- deepen the volunteer’s acceptance of self and others and to develop inner freedom to make a responsible and permanent commitment as volunteers.
- develop the volunteer’s being as a person-for-others in relationship with the Deaf, with fellow volunteers, co-workers, and the people of God as a whole.
- deepen the volunteers’ conviction to serve and love unconditionally so as to intensify her/his appreciation and exercise of her/his volunteer involvement especially her/his work with the Deaf.
- provide support system and continuing education for volunteers.
Our Program/Work and Activities
Gualandian Volunteers work by helping or assisting in different programs, fields & areas of concern such as:
- Pastoral programs and activities of the Gualandi Mission for the Deaf
- Managing Deaf Ministries
- Deaf Community Organizing
- Capacity building of Deaf Organizations
- Deaf Rights Advocacy
- Deaf Education (formal, non-formal & catechism/religious instructions)
- FSL Interpreters of the Deaf
- Liturgical Activities for the Deaf
- Human Resource such as facilitators, logistics, coordinators for seminars, workshops, retreats and recollections and Deaf camps
These Gualandian Volunteers works as deaf ministers, sign language interpreters, teachers and educators of the deaf, advocates for and of Deaf Rights and among others.
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if you want to know more about us and our volunteer works, contact:
Mr. John Paul E. Maunes
Program Manager
Gualandi Volunteer Service Programme, Inc.
#5 Emerald Street, St. Michael Village,
Banilad, Cebu City, Philippines
P.O. BOX 650
Tel. No. 032- 231-2601
Fax No. 032- 231-2118
Email Address: gualandivolunteers@yahoo.com or gualandivolunteers@gmail.com
