Kokkyo naki Kodomotachi (KNK) “Children without Borders” is a non-governmental humanitarian association based in Tokyo, Japan that aims at supporting underprivileged children and youths in the world and promoting friendship and understanding between those and youths in Japan.
The association was established in 1997 by an international medical aid NGO to take charge of its educational program for Japanese children, and became independent in 2002.
Mr. Dominique Leguillier established KNK and funded the street children projects in the Philippines thru MSF Belgium. During one of his visits Mr. Leguillier was challenged when he saw the situations of street children and children in conflict with the law (CICL). It was in the year 2001 that Mr. Leguillier and his friends from Japan explored the possibility of working with street children.
In the same year, KNK-Philippines was established as a branch office of KNK Japan. The move enabled KNK to develop a more holistic approach in addressing the diverse problems of disadvantaged children in developing countries in addition to providing medical needs.
It first opened the House for Youth for street children. The house provided these children their basic needs, care and case management.
Formally KNK-Philippines was established on November 2001, with programs aiming at protecting the basic rights of street children, children in conflict with the law (CICL) and underprivileged youth living under the most critical conditions in Metro Manila.
In the year 2004, KNK acquired the license to operate from the Department of Social Welfare and Development-National Capital Region (DSWD–NCR) as a social welfare agency to implement educational program for disadvantaged street children, children in conflict with the law (CICL), and out of school youth (OSY) in the communities of Payatas, Quezon City and Bagong Silang, Caloocan City. KNK Philippines became a local non-profit humanitarian organization in 2007 known as KnK Network-Philippines Organization, Inc. and it was amended in March 29, 2012 as KNK CHILDREN WITHOUT BORDERS PHILS. INC. by Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
