Did You Know?
October 1, 2015
In the Philippines, many humanitarian groups are working in the larger cities to combat the problems affecting children, but we are working in very small cities untouched by mainstream organizations because of their size. We hope to keep these children from becoming another statistic in the main cities when they leave in desperation to find a way out of hunger and poverty.
More than 10% of Filipino children are compelled to work so as to support the needs of their family. Close to a million Filipino youths work as garbage scavengers in public dumps. The working conditions are utterly filthy and often have serious effects on the health of these individuals.
Other children employed in rural sectors work nonstop on sugar, rice or tea plantations or in the fishing sector which is highly developed.
Young Girls are the object of notorious discriminatory practices that often continue throughout their entire lives.
Handicapped children are very numerous in the Philippines, due to nutrition- and hygiene-related problems. The country has yet to set up a sufficient number of establishments that can adequately attend to the needs of such children. Consequently, their access to educational and healthcare services remains severely limited.
The Philippines number among 20 countries in which children are often deployed as soldiers in armed conflicts. Certain armed groups have recently stated that they will no longer use children in this capacity; however, the total absence of child soldiers is far from being verified.
The Committee of Children’s Rights has expressed profound concern about justice for minors. The killing of children is a serious violation of the Convention of Children’s Rights; yet the crimes themselves remain unpunished.
Numerous reports leave one with the impression that children in Philippine prisons are still being subjected to torture.
Since 2008 we have self funded schools in the Philippines. We find that we cannot do enough. The Hesser Foundation established this endowment for students who have certain financial hardships that make it difficult to pay for the costs of enrollment fees, school uniforms, school supplies, PTA fees, Boy and Girl Scout of the Philippine
We thank you for your help.