Till 40-50 years ago Tondo was considered as one of Manila's poorest districts, the land of thieves, of the wretched and homeless who daily sought to obtain food to survive and shelter for the night. Children and youth were entirely abandoned to themselves, easy prey of diseases (due to malnutrition and terrible hygiene conditions) and crime. There was neither a community, nor education nor a sense of belonging... only ghettos divided by ethnic groups. In 1969 the Salesians arrived and decided to settle down there amidst the marginalised. They pooled up all their resources (i.e. government funds, private organisations, NGOs, institutions and agencies) to form the Don Bosco Youth Centre. Their proposal was soon organised, envisaged technical training programmes, medical centres, educational, cultural and sports centres, primary and secondary education and religious services. From 1971 the Don Bosco Youth Centre has given a diploma to over 10,000 youth who have a job today and contribute towards their family's maintenance.