The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Education (DepEd) recently launched their ‘Kariton Klasrum’ project for homeless street families in Metro Manila, held at the Philippine Sports Complex, Pasig City.

Dubbed as K4 or ‘Kariton, Klasrum, Klinik, Kantin, the project was adopted from the idea of 2009 CNN Hero of the Year Efren Peñaflorida.  It aims to address the basic needs of street children who are unable to go to school to attend formal education.

DSWD Secretary Soliman said that this project targets the identified street children who are beneficiaries of DSWD’s Modified Conditional Cash Transfer (MCCT) program in Metro Manila and children beneficiaries of DSWD accredited residential facilities for street children.

Soliman added that the project has dual objectives: to educate street children and to provide health services and shelter assistance to street families to ensure their safety and well-being. Currently, there are 1,554 homeless street families in NCR who are enrolled in the MCCT program.

MCCT targets the sector of the population who were not included in the regular Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.  Qualified beneficiaries receive monthly cash grants of P1,400.00 and a complete package of assistance, to include housing assistance and job opportunities for the improvement of their living conditions.

DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro also announced that there are already four (4) pushcart classrooms stationed in designated areas in NCR, particularly in Novaliches, Pasig, Caloocan and Manila.

The implementation of the project is under partnership with DepEd, Dynamic Teen Company, represented by CNN Hero Efren Peñaflorida, Local Government Units (LGUs), non-government organizations (NGOs), and civil society organizations (CSOs) in Metro Manila.

Peñaflorida also expressed his hope that through this project, the country will be able to meet its commitment to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which is education for all by 2015.