The Day Center of Gugma is located in the city of Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines. It provides a community, educational and shelter space for street children.

The Philippines - A Country of Contrasts

A holiday paradise...

The Philippines - An archipelago of 2000 inhabited and 5000 uninhabited islands in Southeast Asia. Because of the subtropical climate, the soils are very fertile: from rice to cocoa, from coffee to a variety of exotic fruits. Since the Philippines is located near the equator, there are hardly any seasons.

... and at the same time abject poverty

The country has another side:

Enormous population growth, corruption and lack of education, draw a gap between wealth and extreme poverty in the country.

Thus, as in Cagayan de Oro on the island of Mindanao, such slums are created. Here, people live in small self-built huts and shacks in catastrophic conditions. They are dependent on earning money for their livelihood every day on the street or at the garbage dump.

Hunger, lack of hygiene and no education are just a few of the effects that the people there have to contend with. Children often do not go to school because they lack the money for school materials, but also the necessary structures for it. As a result, they often work on the streets at an early age in order to survive.

It is not uncommon for children to be left behind by their parents, who move to big cities to be able to earn money. There is also a high incidence of abuse and sexual assault against children in their own households. Some children are also orphaned at an early age and are often left to fend for themselves.

Poverty often runs through the generations. Many children grow up without education and do child labor on the streets.