MAKATI (Phil): 19th April -- Tuloy Center I in Makati City (near Manila) which first started with 15
children now has 108 resident children for whom the centre provides food, clothing, shelter, and education. The goal is to totally rehabilitate the streetchild and eventually reintegrate him into society as a productive citizen by providing complete care. As Father Rocky, Salesian Director, says," it is not enough that we just feed and clothe them, we should also give them the skills they need so they would leave the streets for good".

The Tuloy sa Don Bosco School opened in 1997 with a program specially tailored for streetchildren and approved by the Dept. of Education. Apart from giving them basic education, it also provides vocational and skills training (e.g. Automotive Technology). The school serves resident children plus those coming from nearby Centers and depressed areas. It had 168 students at the close of school year 1998-1999. This year, it had 56 graduates (total for the equivalent of the grade school and high school levels and the vocational technology level.) Three of the voc-tech graduates from last year now have regular jobs where they can apply the skills they learned in training. Some others are still looking for work after having completed contracts
in fastfood chains like KFC.

Many private individuals are very active in Tuloy as full-time and part-time volunteers and donors. A number of companies and organizations are also involved in the project as benefactors. Volunteerism is one of the driving forces of the Center; the children benefit much from spending time with volunteers from whom they
receive the love and concern that they have been deprived of for so long.

To serve the many children still in the streets the Salesians are currently expanding operations. Tuloy has a new Center, which is still being developed, in a provincial area where the kids can learn about agriculture. Seventeen streetchildren have opted to stay there. A Streetchildren Village in a place about 20 to 30 minutes away from the Makati Center is also being built and will replicate what is being done in Makati but on a larger scale. When completed, it will serve 1000 resident and non-resident streetchildren.