Street Children

A team up among Sony Ericsson, Ericsson Telecommunications Inc. Philippines and SM Supermalls seeks to provide mobile education among street children, with the companies initially contributing a mobile educational van worth P1 million to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) which has a program to provide assistance for families living on the streets initially in…

Noting the success of Brazilian government’s anti-poverty program, President Arroyo said her government would seek bilateral and multilateral funding assistance to her Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, which provides grants to the extremely poor Filipino families for their health, nutrition and education needs, particularly children aged 0-14.

MANILA, Philippines – The expansive grounds of the Meralco compound in Ortigas was recently transformed into a carnival setting for three days to celebrate the company’s 106th year and “Employees Week.” It turned out as a meaningful endeavor for its employees who pooled their resources in treating the streetchildren to a “Fun-tastic Friendship Fair.”

DIRTY, with stains of dried rugby on his nose, too small for his oversized shirt touching the ground, bald, thin, with a rag on one hand and a bottle of household glue tucked under his large shorts, sleepy eyed. That is Del.

HE walks the street barefoot. He is an aggressive boy and has a quick temper.

A STREET child is neither a child nor an adult. Or, to say it differently, he/she is both a child and an adult.

SNIFFING glue takes away hunger pains. We all see it and do nothing about it: street children inhaling liquid glue from a plastic bottle or bag clear enough for us to know what it is all about.

IN 2005, a research project “University and Drug Use/Abuse: Local Studies” was launched by the Center for Coordination of Research of the International Federation of Catholic Universities based in Paris.

THERE are about 1.5 million children in Philippine streets. Half of them have, at one time or another, inhaled and may actually be inhaling household glue (more commonly known by the popular brand name rugby).