180 children
2 centers
10 Hectars of garbage
Every day, hundreds of people seek a mere pittance among the garbage of Manila’s main garbage dump.
At this place, which has been forgotten by all and that doesn’t even officially exist, hundreds of families have come to settle, live and work.
The first victims of this situation are the children. Mixed among the adults, these child scavengers know only the spectacle of the dump site. They work, eat, sleep and bathe in the middle of this massive garbage dump. Some of them have likely never known another life outside of this dumpsite where men and women fight over a morsel of plastic or metal to recycle.
Answering
to the call of the families living in neighbouring
shantytowns, a project was launched at the end of
2003 in order to respond to the children’s most dire
needs. The installation of a first, then a second
center, was launched in order to bring to these
children a basic level of care, food and schooling
according to their own, often very weak, individual
levels.
These
two centers, built directly on the dump site, receive
nearly 180 children on a daily basis. The youngest of
the children are not even 3 years old. Every day,
each child spends one half-day completing educational
activities according to their level. They also profit
from a complete and balanced meal. Finally, an
individual medical check-up is provide; the care and
the necessary medical follow-up are charged to the
foundation.
