In October 2025, World Villages for Children’s UK Manager, Nicola, travelled to the Philippines with Trustee John, and supporters Geoffrey and Barbara. They visited the four programmes there – Biga Girlstown and Adlas Boystown near Manila, and Talisay Girlstown and Minglanilla Boystown in Cebu. Below are their reflections on the visit and their impressions of the Sisters of Mary schools and all the children World Villages supports into quality education and care.
UK Manager & Donor reflections
In my role I have had the privilege of visiting many of the Sisters of Mary schools over the years. I was very pleased to have the chance to catch up in October with the Sisters and children at the schools in the Philippines. It was a particular joy for me to be accompanied on this trip by our loyal supporters Geoffrey, Barbara, and John our Trustee and Treasurer.
There are nearly 9,500 children in the Philippine schools – two schools in Cavite – Biga (girls), Adlas (boys) and two schools on the island of Cebu, Talisay (girls) and Minglanilla (boys). The schools are accommodating and educating thousands of the region’s most impoverished youngsters. But it is only when you see the children together you can fully appreciate the profound and regional wide poverty relief impact being created by our supporters’ donations. John has written an excellent blog on his trip and he describes eloquently the humbling and moving experience of meeting the children and understanding the sheer scale of this work in person.
It is a huge effort of efficiency and effectiveness by the Sisters to operate these schools with just the help of the generous individual supporters who contribute from around the world. And it is so inspiring that they keep the costs as low as they are and help so very many children.
Delivering quality education for the poorest children
It was six or so years since my last visit to these schools and in that time they have really evolved. There continues to be an enormous focus on the provision of a high quality vocational (as well as academic) education. The schools now lead the way nationally on the provision of a TESDA accredited vocational education which prepares children for good local jobs. There is a big emphasis on STEM teaching as good jobs are available (particularly for girls) in these areas. Funding for vocational training workshops and equipment remains a focus for us at WVC over the coming years to support this initiative.
I also saw the challenges faced by the Sisters in maintaining the schools whilst trying to prepare them for the future. There is a huge need for support with ongoing funding for maintenance as many of the schools are now nearing 40 years old. We saw a lot of termite damage on blackboards and within classrooms which is hindering learning. We need to help more with this next year. This situation was of course made somewhat more pressing with the new damage following the earthquake in Cebu before and during our visit and then the typhoons in Cavite/Manila.
The Sisters talked in detail about the measures needed to prepare the school for more sustainable operating practices. They are already working well in this regard but particularly in Biga the schools desperately need more solar panels to help with the electricity bill. The one we funded back in 2017 is not sufficient so we will focus on this in 2026.
The children who come into our care
Of course the main focus of our visit was to meet the families of many of the children in our care and we were able to visit a number of homes in Cavite and Cebu. These families are in great difficulty and live in an extremely deprived state – lacking many of the basics of survival. Many of the families are also fragmented with the children living with very distant relatives or alone.
The young girls within the communities particularly face many challenges to accessing education with gender based violence, early marriage and lack of income a major impediment to accessing school or leading to an early drop out. The demand from these children for a place at school with the Sisters is unceasing and the Sisters do their best with the funding available to maximise the number of places available to the most impoverished children. Without exception the families of the children we met were beyond grateful for the chance for their child to receive an education and better future to help them all.
Barbara's reflections
It was poignant to hear the reflections of the supporters who joined us for this visit, some visiting the SoM programmes for the first time and others visiting another school of the Sisters for the first time.
Barbara shared her thoughts with me:
“We visited a number of homes with students both in Manilla and Cebu. Homes crammed into tiny spaces within shanty town slums; homes with damp stained mattresses curled up on the floor. The floors were often just mud, one where the rain dripped in during our visit setting up small puddles in the home. Only a single tap or electric light bulb. Simple primus stoves. Children undernourished, slight of frame and slim with parents, older siblings and grandparents. Their homes on stilts above a swamp, which doubles up as an open sewer. We were told by one of the Sisters the swamp would be home to snakes. We saw ‘rabid’ looking dogs. Noted the lack of medical support, particularly for one seven year old sibling who had clear needs (non mobile, non verbal); possible addiction history with one carer; our own fears for the vulnerability of young girls to male predators living in a shelter with no door (just a hanging, dirty, torn sheet) nor weather proof roof; and more than anything a sense of hopelessness (truly ‘without hope’), yet a glimpse of light from the one child selected to attend the Boystown or Girlstown.”
The children at school
When I first arrived at the girlstown and boystown in Biga I saw the contrast with their home circumstances. This was not a resort, not a school, but a home to the students. They took pride and care of their home and there was a real sense of belonging. A sense of pride and a sense of ownership. The opportunity to have open space, have sufficient food, share learning, have a personal space, the serenity of the grounds, the farm, the gardens, the sports area was, to me, awesome. And inside their classes and dormitories, a bed (a mattress) to call their own, their own clothes to wear (which were made by the students on site), their own to keep tidy and, of course, to wash was, to me, humbling. The students were acutely aware that they had been ‘chosen’ and showed a determination to succeed, not just for themselves but also for their families.
Alongside a sense of love and belonging, I saw students developing a huge sense of ‘giving back’ – those I spoke with were clear that they have been given a wonderful opportunity, and as such wanted (not through a sense of duty) to give back – to their own families, to their own community and to the Boystown and Girlstown
The work of the Sisters
It was during this trip that I really saw the Sisters. They were emphatic that the students would be taught what is needed for a modern world (they had recently attended training on AI, the classrooms were equipped with some up-to-date IT equipment and the Sisters had to ensure the Wi-Fi connections were strong). Their focus on educating the students was massive, huge, all encompassing. The Sisters’ grasp of the reality of sound economics was admirable. Yet, they were also able to speak, with real earthy experience, of the demands within society: poverty, nutrition, job prospects, prostitution, homelessness, split families, substance abuse, gangs and exploitation, damage to communities and stunted growth spoil from mining conglomerates, by mining spoil – just a few I remember. The Sisters are grounded in the real world.
We were welcomed into the Boystowns and Girlstowns and, of more importance, into the students’, alumni’, graduates’ and Sisters’ hearts. The schools and the system are working. The Sisters deliver God’s will and strive towards Father Al’s vision. The students feel ‘chosen’ in a comfortable and secure way, with aspirations for themselves and their families; they don’t forget. Their sense of gratitude towards the donors was humbling and, for me at times, overwhelming. It is a privilege to be a small part of World Villages for Children.
Geoffrey's reflections
Geoffrey visited the Sisters of Mary schools in Tanzania in March and so this was his second trip to the programmes this year.
“My experience was very broadly the same as I experienced in Tanzania in March 2025. This is good because it suggests that The Sisters of Mary Boystown and Girlstown model is one that works.
I found the warmth of our welcome in the Philippines so humbling – almost overwhelming – of the students at all the schools. I was delighted to see the happiness of the children and the incredible range of learning on offer including vocational training for boys and girls. Many of the children are very engaged in the learning opportunities they have.
The home visits for me were very moving and challenging. I was moved by the stories of the children, the extreme difficulties of their lives before school and I appreciated hugely the opportunity to join with Nicola to interview many of the children. I gained an insight into their backgrounds, levels of ability and the shyness of the children but also in some cases the children’s ambition and thoughts about the future.
Overall my visit to the Sisters of Mary schools in the Philippines was a hugely interesting and rewarding experience. I believe these Boystown and Girlstown schools provide an excellent and very broad educational opportunity. The children appear happy in their school, are making the most of the opportunity and have great hope of a better future.”