about Tahanan Sta. Luisa

Tahanan Sta. Luisa, Inc. (TSL) is a crisis intervention and recovery center whose mission is to provide rehabilitation for physically/sexually abused and prostituted street girls between the ages of 11–15 years old upon admission. TSL can accommodate up to 23 girls at a time and has supported 560 street girls since its founding in 1997. The Center is based in Quezon City and admits street girls specifically from the Metro Manila area, including Manila, Quezon, Pasay, Caloocan, Parañaque Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasig, and Marikina.  

TSL is a non-government organization (NGO) and one of only three residential centers within Metro Manila which focuses specifically on the admission of pre-adolescent/adolescent street girls – one of the most vulnerable and marginalized demographic groups in the Philippines.  While the precise scale of the exploitation of street girls has never been accurately documented, the scope of the problem is dire. The Abused Children’s Fund estimates that one in four Filipino girls are sexually abused before reaching 18 years old.

As one of the most vulnerable groups among the street children population, girls face not only the hardship of struggling to find food and shelter on the street, but also the prospect of being subject to predatory individuals within their own families or local communities. TSL provides residential care for street girls during these formative years, assisting the girls in their journey through their social, physical and emotional development and growth, while also supporting them to overcome the traumatic negative experiences of their past.

The center was named after St. Louise de Marillac, a girl who grew up as an illegitimate child in a troubled world and overcame enormous odds to dedicate her life to caring for the poor and abandoned. TSL aims to assist abused and exploited girls experience the same transformative process in their own lives.  In the national language of the Philippines, the word “Tahanan” means “home.” Tahanan Sta. Luisa is truly a home for these girls, serving as a refuge from the hardships of the street and a path towards a productive and hope-filled future.

For more info, and if you want to volunteer, kindly email us at tahananstaluisainc@gmail.com

website: http://www.tahananstaluisa.org/