The Challenge: Breaking The Cycle of Poverty

Due to rapid global urbanization the traditional "face" of poverty is no longer best represented by a child in a rural village. Nowhere is this change more evident than in the poorest urban areas of the Philippines. Children growing up in these urban areas are increasingly worse off than those in rural regions and face greater risks from natural disasters, exploitation and HIV. Disparities within urban areas reveal that many children lack access to schools, health care and sanitation, despite living alongside these services. The growth in population is projected to continue into the foreseeable future, threatening to further marginalizing an entire generation of impoverished children.