St. Hannibal Multi-Level School
In 1990 what began as a soup kitchen in the parish grounds of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary parish in Manila, Philippines is now a full blown private institution of learning: The Blessed Hannibal Multi-Level School. This school has a capacity for 90 students in Grades 1 - 6.
Our students are poorer than the infamous street children of Manila. They remain so naive and innocent of the joys of childhood but are learned in the ways of the world. They must scavenge for food and sometimes can not distinguish what in rancid. We have 17-year-olds in First Grade who can not yet read or write or tell colors. We have those who do not know how to play because they never owned a toy in their life. The children are left to fend for themselves... children taking care of children.
The school caters to children who can not be mainstreamed into the regular educational system in the Philippines. Most of them are advanced in age and due to either ignorance or neglect, they have absolutely no documentation. In addition to a good education, the school provides 2 hot meals a day, school supplies and school uniforms to all its students. The school is funded through donations from generous benefactors and money raised by the foundation.
Funding is very limited and for the 2009 - 2010 school year only 45 students were
enrolled due to a shortage of funds.