Witness the real-life journey of the orphaned, neglected, and abused Filipino Youth striving for independence, hope, and change.
As modern society keeps going and growing, the adoption and rehoming crisis has become a global issue caused by the rising numbers of children and youth in need of permanent homes, or shelters that could foster them. (DWSD, 2021)
Number of abandoned and neglected filipino children in the Philippines from 2016-2021
1,999

ABANDONED

3,444

NEGLECTED

About 5 to 7 million children who are abandoned, neglected, or orphaned are at present in the country. (Philstar Global, 2023)
That is 1 out of every 6 children in the Philippines.

(Rohei Foundation, 2021)

Due to this, the country suffers from the rising number of adoption and rehoming crises.
The Philippine Senate is trying its best to appease the situation by approving the Republic Act 11642 back in January 2022 and encouraging more Filipino families to consider adopting and fostering.
However,  the uncertainty that these children are being taken care of by permanent families or foster families is still at present, especially with those who aged out of the age system.

This leads to the question of

What happens to those youth who aged out of the system or those who are currently living inside the residential care shelters, in preparation for the future that they might face on their own?

NGO Shelters highlight the significance of nurturing and providing stable care for the youth in shelters. Initiating a support system or program that would help the youth learn how to be independent.
This program is called the
INDEPENDENT LIVING PROGRAM (ILP)
This program is developed to help train the youth to build their best abilities, skills, and preparation to be self-sufficient.
These trainings includes:
Decision-making and emotional regulation
Educational attainment
Budgeting/Money Management
Household task
Job seeking and employment
Vocational Jobs
Obtaining Legal Assistance
Despite the help it provides to the youth, unfortunately, not all shelters in the country can maintain and run the program
as it is considered as 'unknown' or 'less significant', and receives little to no support from the goverment.
The significance of this program cannot be defined by those who did not experience it, but by those who needed and know what it is like to have a silver lining, through the help of this program.
To fully understand the importance of the Independent Living Program, here are the real testimonies of individuals who are currently under and graduates of the program.