BASECO is an urban poor community and the largest among five barangays in the Manila port area. It is a 48 hectares of poorly reclaimed land around the Manila Bay with almost 10,000 housing structures surrounded by garbage and are highly vulnerable to both natural and man-made disasters such as typhoon and flooding, fire and earthquake. It is congested with a population of almost 60,000 individuals (13,000 families) with approximately 45% children. Residents of BASECO are mostly informal settlers with low income, insecure jobs and limited access to basic services such as education, healthcare, sanitation and proper shelter. The lack of solid waste management is a major issue contributing to child vulnerability.