- There are more than 1.5 million street children all over the Philippines.
- The working street child works from 6 to 16 hours, often in a combination of “occupations.”
- Filipino street children sift through the garbage for food or recyclables, leaving the leftovers of (what they found in the garbage) to rot while flies swarm, rats scurry about, and smaller children play nearby.
“I was only ten when I ran away for good. I soon experienced how difficult it is to be on your own with no one on your side. You don’t have any source of food. When it rains you don’t have a roof or a shelter to go to. That’s why I was forced to do things against my will; I did them in order to survive.”
–Jessa, 17 years old
“I sleep in a park. I pick up pieces of cardboard to sleep on at night, the bits that are thrown out by people. It’s very uncomfortable. I don’t feel protected on the streets. A proper place to sleep would be a house.”
–Jack, 12 years old