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Last July 7, Virlanie Foundation Inc. is launched its annual education campaign: #Give2Achieve. Its goal is to raise P2 million within 2 months, enabling it to fund its education programs for the coming year.
Metro Manila and the National Capital Region (NCR) have an estimated 30,000 children on the streets. Some of them can either live or make a living on the streets, some may still have their own family, but others are simply abandoned or choose to run away from home, often due to domestic violence.
Street children face hardships and exploitation and are generally deprived of their basic rights, including their right to education. Most of them are illiterate and have either never been enrolled, or have dropped out of the formal education system.
Additionally, while most children have their parents as role models, street children lack guidance from parents. The typical phenomenon of their so-called ”social disability” is caused by the shortcomings of their upbringing.
The lack of education and educational opportunities makes street children particularly vulnerable to trafficking, child labor, sexual abuse, exposure to HIV/AIDS and other STDs and police violence. It leaves profound effects on their overall development, and lessens their chance to become responsible independent adults.
Even though these realities are faced by street children, we still believe that they have high potential. They are just not given the same opportunities as other children. Virlanie believes that education and social inclusion are therefore key factors to balance social inequalities and break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
As a child caring non-profit institution, Virlanie Foundation sets out to protect and empower children for a brighter future. With the help of its supporters, Virlanie reaches out to the poorest of the poor helping children and street families with history of abandonment, abuse, exploitation, neglect, and those with physical and mental disabilities. Since its founding in 1992, along with corporations, organization, and thoughtful individuals, it has helped 17,000 street children cope and recover from their traumatic histories.
With 25 years of experience in helping street children, Virlanie recognizes that there is a need to invest in education and welfare. While it do its best to send each street child to formal school, it acknowledges that those children need special support to cope up in school. Not only do they need monitoring and tutorial classes to fill the educational gap they experience due to learning delays, but also strong support and encouragement to develop non-academic skills. All of its educational programs aim at the holistic development of the children, being tailor-fit to their needs and age.
That’s why Virlanie’s programs are focused on helping former street children become school ready, job ready and life ready. Its programs provide children with both formal and non-formal education so they can acquire life skills that will give them vitality and courage, joy of life, confidence in the meaning of life, self-confidence and awareness of social behavior codes.
With your support to Give2Achieve, you’re allowing street children to achieve knowledge, skills and attitude they need to become responsible and independent adults in the future. You GIVE them the means to ACHIEVE an equal footing with other children and you also help fight poverty and social indifference in a more global perspective.
THE SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE CHILDREN LIVING IN VIRLANIE’S HOMES
- The Magellan Learning Center provides tutorials and other educational activities for the children.
- The SiBuHi (Sining, Buhay & Hilom/Art, Life &. Healing) Center for Creativity and Development enables the children to develop their talents in music, arts, and sports.
- The Medical Program provides health services for the children.
- The Psychological Program addresses the psychological needs of the children.
- The Family Reunification Program helps to reunite the children with their families.
- The Independent Living Program (ILP) leads the young adults to become self-sustaining
You can have further information on our programs and #GiveZAchieve campaign by sharing the word via: Facebook:@virlaniefoundation and Twitter: @Virlanie. You can donate through the website: www.virlanie.org.
