Most of Virlanie beneficiaries have educational delays because prior to their admission at Virlanie, they didn’t have access to school, or they dropped out and/or they lacked proper guidance – resulting in lack of self-confidence and social exclusion. The Education services aims at equipping every child from residential, street, and community programs with education and positive values so they can become the best person they can be.
Our Education services are designed to be as inclusive as possible, offering tailor-fit education services to all children (from the residential program, from the streets, with special needs) from 3 to 18 years old and encompassing both formal and informal education.
29 graduated for the school year 2017-2018
Arlyn, 25
Special Education Beneficiary
The difficult backgrounds of our children often result in their lack of self-esteem or psychological drawbacks. The regular practice of artistic activities or sports can be an opportunity for them to unleash their talents, self-expression, and healing.
As part of the holistic education we aim to provide to our children, the SiBuHi (Sining, Buhay, Hilom: “art, life, healing”) Center gives our children access to various recreational activities such as visual arts (painting, and arts and crafts), performing arts (choir) and sports (badminton, swimming, and soccer).
For a common observer, Juliet, 19, looks like any other girls of her age. However, she had quite an extraordinary childhood—Juliet used to roam the streets of Metro Manila from a very young age. Her single mother was unemployed, so she was forced to work so she can buy food. Juliet shared, “I used to ride jeepneys and clean the passenger’s shoes hoping they give me money”, the teenager recalls. She pauses. Talking about her past doesn’t come easy. “You know… my mother used to physically abuse me.” She mutters. In the street, she faced more abuse, disease and exploitation. Facing this harsh reality, going to school became optional and finishing her education, a distant dream.
“My mom wanted me to come to Virlanie” she says. “When she died, it was written in her will. The Mobile Unit used to come by the area we lived in.” Mobile Unit is one of Virlanie’s Street Pillar projects. It was also Ate Marie, Mobile Unit Coordinator at that time, who convinced Juliet to go to Virlanie so she can finish schooling. Juliet saw the value of education. She knew then that with education, she can have a chance to improve the quality of her life and her brother’s.
Upon entering Virlanie, Juliet received preparatory training to help her re-adapt to formal learning environment. While being able to immediately go back to school, she never had proper school records either because as a child, she had been transferring from one place to another or she had been dropping out from school because her mother can no longer afford her education. Because of this, the gap between her age and grade level grew along the years. At school, she had always been the oldest among her classmates. But these circumstances didn’t affect her desire to finish her education.
Juliet’s previous experiences in the street inspired her to become a lawyer. She studies well to achieve this dream. She works hard in every subject and because of her strong determination, she has always been a consistent honor student.
Now 19 years old, Juliet is a Grade 10 student with academic honors. She plans to take up Philosophy in college and aspires to become a lawyer in the future.
