Who We Are

GIVE TO VIRLANIE Please help Virlanie give street children a home, a family, food, education and a future.

Where We Work

The 7,100 islands of the Republic of the Philippines are in the South East Asia, in the Philippines Sea between Indonesia, Vietnam, and Taiwan.

The islands are abundant in natural resources but the distribution of wealth and opportunity is unequal and poverty abounds throughout the country. The country has the third highest rate of inequality between rich and poor in the Asia Pacific.

The extent of poverty in the Philippines is extreme, affecting millions of children throughout the country. In Metro Manila, the problem is severe: approximately one-third of the population lives in slums and squatter settlements. As a mean of survival in the uncertainty of street life, Manila’s poor children sometimes turn to crime, drugs and child prostitution. Others suffer from physical and sexual abuse, malnutrition and serious health problems.

• 94 million inhabitants
• 36.7% of the population live below the poverty line (with less than php 60 a day or 1 euro a day)
• 19.6% are unemployed (according to the National Statistics Office)
• 1 million street children in the Philippines, 150 000 in Metro Manila alone (according to UNICEF)
• 1 in 3 children under 3 years are underweight
• 5.85 million children living in slums throughout the Philippines
• More than 100,000 children are forced into prostitution and pornography. Sex tourism is rife.
• 1 in 5 children, aged 3 to 5, have access to day care or preschool services
• Only 67 out of 100 children who enter first grade will complete sixth grade

Virlanie Foundation’s head office is located in the city of Makati, barangay (district) Singkamas. Most of its Homes are situated in the same barangay except for Jade Home and Patricia Halfway Home which are in the Cavite province, aprox.1 hour drive outside Manila.