While the Philippines has an economic growth rate of 7%, one in three Filipinos still lives below the poverty line. In Manila, 1 in every 2 inhabitants lives in a shanty town, or 9 000 000 people. The rampant poverty in the capital particularly affects children, of whom 1.5 million live on the streets.

Maltreatment is also a scourge that affects the vast majority of Filipino families since corporal punishment is widely accepted in Philippine society and mentality. According to UNICEF, three out of every five Filipino children are victims of child abuse and one in every four is sexually abused, most often by a family member. Girls are particularly vulnerable given 10% of young women aged 15-19 experience early pregnancy and 14% are married before the age of 18, many therefore find themselves forced to flee the family environment. On the other hand, failure at school and the necessity to earn a living and therefore drop out of school causes families to break-up.

While most of the structures devoted to the care of these girls are limited to providing accommodation and schooling until they reach the age of 18, the School of Life founded by ACAY welcomes young girls with the aim of accompanying them throughout the process of personal rehabilitation and reintegration into society. The strategy adopted by the School of Life includes:

- A group dynamic coupled with the individual mentoring of each youth;

- A peer support / mediation;

- The prioritising and cultivation of responsibility as part of the youth's culture;

- A partnership with families, the legal system and the professional world.

The Philippine Department of Social Affairs, recognizing the results obtained by the holistic pedagogical approach developed over the years by the School of Life, has asked to benefit from ACAY's expertise and to disseminate it within the institutions managed by the authorities Philippines.