Virlanie Foundation

Virlanie Foundation is working with street children and young prostitutes  in  Manila,  Philippines, giving  them a shelter, food, education and love.

We  have  children  who  have  experienced  all  kind  of  cruelty  that modern-day society can possibly offer. We have to remind ourselves that, children being what they are by nature: vulnerable, innocent and unable to take care of themselves, it is they who suffer the most from whatever happens in the world around them, especially in a disintegrated society, like in poor Philippines.

Whatever the root cause, we see around us...

Ø      abandoned children

Ø   street beggars

Ø    young prostitutes

Ø    physically and emotionally battered children

Ø    mentally handicapped children

Ø    incest victims

and the list goes on...

To  offer  these  children  a  place  to  live  other  than  the   streets, Dominique Lemay, a French social worker, working alongside with Filipino  partners, set  up  the  Virlanie  Foundation,  Inc.  in  Manila, Philippines in 1988.

Virlanie Foundation is a non-profit, non-stock child-caring institution duly licensed by the Philippines' Department of Social Welfare and Development.  As  a  Non  Governmental  Organization, it  is also a member of the Special National Committee against Child Prostitution and the Technical Working Group of the Department of Justice. Presently, Virlanie Foundation operates 12 homes, currently caring for 270 children.

It  employs  75  Filipino  social  workers, street  educators,  house parents and other persons.

OUR PROGRAMS

Here are some of our programs...

The Drop-in Center program
This  serves  as a  half-way house. Children  of the streets do not get used  to  the  idea  of  home life right away. In this center, the children can go and out as they please, as there few restrictions. They get the chance  to  have  good  food  three  times a day, clean clothes and a clean  bed. The  staff talks to them and hold activities with them while they are here, in the hope of convincing them to leave the streets, go home, or stay in one of our homes.

The Jade Program
It  was  noticed  that  the  number of mentally handicapped children in the  various homes of the Virlanie Foundation was increasing and so this  special program was set up. It is run by a group of professionals who  are  caring  for  children  living  in a home created especially for them, and also for those already in the family atmosphere homes.

The Family Program
This  is  the  preventive  aspect  of  the  Virlanie  Foundation's  work ; community  organizing,  youth  training,  and  livelihood  projects  are done among urban poor families in chosen communities. It is hoped that improving the standards of living in areas like these will cause a decline in the incidence of street children.

L'Epi d'Or de Virlanie
The purpose of this bakery is to provide a training school where street children can be taught the rudiments of producing bread, pastries and other delicacies. Another purpose of this business program is to generate funds that can help support the other programs of Virlanie Foundation, which will benefit the children and families already in its care.

The Children's Legal Right Program
It provides the legal services for all  children whose rights are violated, victims or accused (litigation, free legal counseling...) and promotes the protection of children's rights, particularly the Convention on then rights of the Child. This program also works for the immediate resolution of cases of children in conflict with the law.