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Economic empowerment of vulnerable mothers in Manila: key to child protection

Published on

25 October 2024

Manila’s dominant skyscrapers obscure its urban poverty and hide a situation of extreme precariousness for many vulnerable or broken families, who are often relegated to the margins of society. Under the bridges that cross the city, thousands of Filipinos lives in makeshift shelters. They make up around one-third of the population of this city of 15 million inhabitants, many of whom are single mothers struggling to meet their family’s needs.

Approximately one in three citizens is considered a squatter, which represents at least 540,000 families. Of these families, almost 70,000 have taken up residence under bridges, which contributes to impeding the flow of water due to the accumulation of garbage. While these people are not necessarily unemployed, they are nevertheless living below the poverty line. Faced with this reality, Kaibigan Ermita Outreach Foundation, Inc. is actively committed to the empowerment of women and the protection of children.

With financial support from the Roncalli International Foundation, Kaibigan offers tailored trainings designed to support single mothers, while giving them access to microcredits. This support enables them to find a job or start their own small business, which strengthens their autonomy and socio-economic role within the community. In this way, mothers can improve their living conditions, lift themselves and their children out of their perilous situations and reclaim their dignity.

Kaibigan’s workshops also enable young people to turn away from delinquency and become agents of change, ready to shape a better future for themselves and their community.

Empowering women is an essential lever for combatting child labour, as it improves the wellbeing of children and their access to education.

Providing mothers with the financial means to act, notably through access to affordable credit, strengthens their ability to meet family expenses, such as school fees and nutritious food, contributing to an overall improvement in living conditions.