Philippines

The Philippines

The Philippines comprise more than 7,000 islands in the western Pacific. More than 26 million Filipinos remain poor with almost half, or a little more than 12 million, living in extreme poverty and lacking the means to feed themselves. Most of the poor in the Philippines live in rural areas and work in the agriculture sector. Urban poverty, however, has been increasing in recent years. Migrants without jobs or with low-paying jobs are unable to afford decent housing. As a result, Philippine cities have high proportions of informal settlers who are among the poorest of the poor. The poor in the Philippines have families of six or more members, with greater numbers of younger and older dependents. The Philippines has a total population 104 million and are of 300,000 sq km. Filipino and English are the most spoken languages.

CURRENT PROJECTS

AlsaBuhay - A Future for Slum Children in Manila

Many children of the Parola slum in Manila are born in broken families in abject poverty; they are often subject to all kinds of abuse and crime. Attending school and building a future are often an impossibility for them. SOFIA, through an innovative program called “ALSA BUHAY”, helps these children by providing an innovative opportunity of alternative education inside the slum. The educational program prepares them for a high school diploma equivalency. Over 700 children have already benefited from this project, but more support is needed to enable SOFIA to shape a better tomorrow for more children in the slum. Every euro donated amounts to one day of school for a child.

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Philippines

Parola slum Fire emergency relief

Fire broke out on 7th February 2017 in the Parola slums, which affected about 3,000 families. The cause of the fire was unknown. SOFIA was part of providing relief materials to the affected families and individuals.

Status: Completed