Philippines
Philippines
Education, care, and a life of service
Manila · Cebu
Philippines - Founded August 15, 1985
In 1983, Venerable Aloysius Schwartz received the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding in recognition of his outstanding charity work in Korea. During his visit to Manila, he met His Eminence Jaime Cardinal Sin, who invited him to begin his mission of mercy in the Philippines.
Answering this call, Fr. Al established the Sisters of Mary community and the first Boystown and Girlstown Complex in Sta. Mesa, Manila on August 15, 1985. Here, children from the poorest families found not only food, shelter, and education, but also love, dignity, and hope. The Sisters also extended their care to the sick, providing free food and medical services to over a thousand tubercular patients in a government hospital.
In 1990, at the urging of His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, the mission expanded to Cebu. Today, four campuses across the Philippines welcome an average of 11,000 indigent boys and girls every year, offering them a home, quality education, and intensive vocational training—all completely free of charge.
Girlstown Programs: Industrial Sewing, Fashion Design, Bookkeeping, Electronics, Mechatronics, Technical Drafting, Bread & Pastry, AutoCAD, Health Care Services, Call Center Training. Boystown Programs: Electricity, Mechatronics, Machine Shop & Welding, Automechanics & Driving, Computer Technology/AutoCAD, Mechanical Processes, CNC Machine Operation.
Other skills are continually added to meet the demands of the job market. Alongside academic and technical training, spiritual formation is at the heart of their education, shaping graduates into self-reliant, faith-filled, and responsible citizens.
To date, 72,251 graduates have stepped out of Boystown and Girlstown equipped with skills, values, and faith. They are now gainfully employed, supporting their families, and living as good citizens—proof that love, when lived in action, transforms lives and builds a brighter future.
