Enervon Donates P1 M to Virlanie Foundation

27 January 2010, Makati, Philippines — Enervon today announced that it is donating P1,000,000.00 to the Virlanie Foundation, an organization dedicated to uplifting the lives of street children.  This is the result of the participation of the Filipino public and the corporate donation from Unilab as part of Enervon’s Share the Happy Campaign.

United Laboratories Incorporated or Unilab has been supporting the Virlanie Foundation for years now. In December 2009, Enervon, one of its brands, launche  d a campaign called, “Share the Happy” wherein the public was enjoined to contribute to the cause via a text drive. The progress of the text drive was represented by an interactive billboard along EDSA. Each donation made was symbolized by a light bulb on the billboard. When the whole billboard has been lit, Enervon pledged to turn over the proceeds to the Virlanie Foundation on behalf of everyone who supported the campaign.

The amount contributed by the public and Enervon will go into the donation of a new van for the Virlanie Foundation’s Mobile Unit along with its street programs. “We thought long and hard about it and we didn’t want to give something temporary. We want to make sure that we contribute to the enhancement of the organization’s operations for the long term,” said Jals Tiu, Enervon Product Manager.

According to Dominique Lemay, Founder and President of the Virlanie Foundation, the donation will help enhance the operations of our Mobile Unit, which promotes literacy and provides mobile healthcare services to the street children. “We’re very grateful to have been part of Enervon’s ‘Share the Happy’ campaign.  Through this contribution that they are making, we will be able to improve our operations and reach out to more children,” said Lemay.

The Mobile Unit

The Mobile Unit program was a pilot project in 2006 of the Virlanie Foundation, a non-profit organization which aims to continue, “Giving back the smile to street children.” Understanding the condition of the disadvantaged children in Metro Manila, the project was conceptualized to provide street-based multi-disciplinary activities through educational, healthcare and social services that properly address their needs in the location where they are situated. Due to its great success, it was officially integrated as one of the foundation’s outreach programs by 2008.

Education, health care services, and psychosocial interventions are the three main thrusts of the program in its objective to socially integrate the children and ultimately form them into responsible, functional members of society. A team of professionals (a project coordinator, two licensed teachers, a registered nurse, a registered social worker, and a technical assistant/ driver) visit Paco and Divisoria four to five times a week to visit the communities of street children in these areas and provide services to meet their needs.

The Mobile Unit team uses an attractive educational tool in keeping with street children’s transitory lifestyle, a mobile school. The program has its own local curriculum which is different from the one of conventional schools and is more suitable to children with a weak educational background. They focus on empowering street children in making their own decisions by developing their self-esteem and sense of self.

To assess the children’s knowledge of the four basic math operations for example, the teachers introduced a game called “Mathletics.” This takes the pressure off those with low educational attainment and encourages them to participate in the group.  The unit also provides books for reading, activities aimed at functional literacy,  as well as alternative educational sessions: children’s rights and responsibilities, health education and personal safety along with developmental activities such as sports and arts and crafts.

Perhaps the most invaluable of the services provided by the Mobile Unit are those that concern the children’s health. These include child care (monthly grooming sessions, first-aid treatments), medical assistance (dental care, medical check-ups), immunization and food and vitamin supplementation. More often than not the children become the victims of poverty and lack of education on the part of their guardians.

“It is heartbreaking to hear how basic the problems of these children are.  Some don’t even have birthdays or surnames,” said Lemay.  Because government documents can be a feat for those who are financially challenged or have few or no supporting documents, birth certificates have become more a privilege rather than a right to street children. The team also conducts area/ family visits, data gathering, referrals to local institutions, family reunification, and counseling aside from processing birth certificates. “As much as possible we try to ensure that they grow up with basic hygiene, proper nutrition and skills appropriate to their situation’s limitations,” Lemay added.

In 2009, 192 children from both venues participated in the program. A good number of these are regulars who consistently attend the classes, evidence that lack of opportunity is the main reason behind child vagrancy.

 Stories of Hope

Majority of street children come from dysfunctional families (e.g. families with abusive, imprisoned, single, or separated parent/s) and as such do not have adult role models to look up to. They deal with a great amount of personal conflicts or anxieties and are thus vulnerable to outside influences like peer pressure and discriminatory behavior. Because they lack the the skills and knowledge in relation to their rights and responsibilities, they are prone to sexual and substance abuse. They are also susceptible to psychiatric disorders and learning problems. Aside from emotional difficulties, these children also face the threat of disease and accidents brought about by the unhealthy living conditions in the streets.

“It can be difficult to deal with these children. Each case is unique and you have to treat them according to their specific needs. It can take a while for them to open up, to trust you. We’ve had cases where it doesn’t happen at all,” Lemay shared.

For its health care services alone, 87% of beneficiaries in Divisoria and 81% of beneficiaries in Paco have improved their health conditions from January to June 2009.

An exceptional case is that of *Mar who was introduced by his mother as a “special child” with a non-healing wound. When the team members examined the “wound”, they were shocked to find on the back of this 16-year-old was a deep, infected hole surrounded by smaller ones. 

With assistance from the Virlanie Mobile Unit’s nurse, Mar immediately underwent several laboratory tests where it was discovered that he had tuberculosis of the skin. The program coordinated with the nearest public health center for free medication. After six months of treatment, his wounds totally healed. After which the team discovered that the child was not “special” at all: he just had a speech problem. After enrolling the boy into the curriculum, Mar has since taken giant steps and has learned basic reading, and even teach younger children Math during the Mobile Unit activities.

*Rey, 12, is another beneficiary of the Mobile Unit program. The unschooled orphan was left to fend for himself when his father died and his mother abandoned him. The team had to place him in the “pre-school” class. Today, he is in the Virlanie residential homes and enjoys support from the foundation.

Virlanie receives its funding from generous donors. While a great amount of the budget for the Mobile Unit goes to education, supplies, materials for developmental activities, supplemental feeding activities, medical supplies, and administrative expenses, the employees are also thankful for the volunteers that come regularly to help them in their cause.

“We are thankful for all the support we receive. The enthusiasm and optimism of volunteers are especially infectious. When we see how tirelessly they work, it motivates us and revives our spirits to work harder,” said Lemay.

“We’d like to thank everyone who participated in the “Share the Happy” campaign.  It’s heartwarming to know that people are willing to help and support Virlanie’s street children.  Trust that your contributions will go a long way in giving back the smiles to Filipino street children,” added Tiu.

*Names of children have been changed to protect their identities.

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For more information on the ‘Share the Happy’ campaign, press only:

Joy Mirasol (joy.mirasol@perceptions-inc.com, +632 8913485)

For inquiries about Virlanie Foundation, you may call Marvin Segura/External Communications at +632 895 3460 or by e-mail: communications@virlanie.org.ph. You may visit the Virlanie website: www.virlanie.org.