All-Around Pinay Mama

Plan International Philippines' Because I Am A Girl Briefing

April 11, 2015

I was invited by Plan International Philippines to attend its BECAUSE I AM A GIRL BRIEFING that was held on March 26 at Il Ponticello Cafe Ristorante in Makati City. I seldom attend events and this one, I did my best not to miss because it was for a good cause.

My first encounter about Plan International was during Blog Action Day 2013. After one year and five months, I never thought that I would be given an opportunity to be part of its campaign. It was truly and honor and blessing for me.

Before I delve deeper into the briefing, let me introduce to you what Plan International is.

"Founded over 75 years ago, it is one of the oldest and largest children's development organizations with no political, religious, or governmental affiliations. It's vision is of the world in which all children realize their full potential in societies that respect people's rights and dignity."

"Plan International has been working in the Philippines since 1961 with focus on helping marginalized Filipino children in more than 400 communities across the country to access their rights to education, health, protection, and participation."

"It works in 50 developing countries across Africa, Asia, and the Americas to promote child rights and lift millions of children out of poverty. In 2003, it worked with 78 million children more than 90,000 communities around the world."

"Its main goal is 'PROMOTING CHILD RIGHTS TO END POVERTY.'"

I have a heart for causes like this. I'm not rich with material possessions but I'm very fortunate of being able to get good education. That right was given to me by my parents and that saved me from different trials and awkward situations when my parents separated. I was able to get many opportunities and privileges that I thought would never been given to me if I wasn't well-educated.

Despite the fact that I was well-educated, I was an abused child until I reached the age of 27. I was verbally abused by my own dad and it made me feel that I was less of a person. I was also bullied in school and work because I let it happen. I was taught to just keep quiet, be submissive, and believe that reasoning out was a form of disrespect and it would make the situation worse. My mom, brother, and I were inside the cycle of abuse and it ended when we decided to live without the presence of my father and away from people of negative influences. I sheltered my kids from their presence and started teaching them the way to protect themselves in case they may be dealing with the same situation as ours and to treat people the way they want to be treated.

My husband, who was still my boyfriend then, encouraged me to go out of my shell. He was the one who taught me how to fight for my rights.

Like my husband who defended me and helped me to become assertive, Plan is there to help underprivileged children especially girls to end their misery of being not able to practice their rights due to their situation and other circumstances through acquiring the assets, skills, and knowledge necessary to succeed in life.

I may not be as influencial as others but through blogging, I may help spread the word about Plan International Philippines' projects for the betterment of Filipino children especially girls.

On February 2015, Plan International launches the Girl Declaration Project to educate chosen girls from all over the country to be spokespersons on behalf of Filipino girls. Let me share with you this press release.

"In order to promote the inclusion of girls’ rights in the ‪‎Post 2015‬ agenda, Plan International officially launched the ‪Girl Declaration Project‬ last February by conducting a three-day start-up workshop to develop the leadership skills of ten select teenage girls from all over the country."

"From Ifugao, Naga, Manila, Rizal, Masbate, Nothern Samar, Cebu and Zamboanga, the girls came together to identify the key issues faced by girls in the country today. They became fast friends as they found common ground in their desire to bring about positive change and advocate girls’ rights."

“'I feel so honored to be part of this group. I want to help other girls like me,' shared Charity Vivero, one of the girl advocates. Through the workshop, the girls gained the knowledge and tools they needed in order to create a national advocacy campaign."

"Rosielen Alfonso, and Ghene Dulnuan were selected by the group to represent them in the World Education Forum to be held in Korea in May. For the UN General Assembly in New York happening this September, the group voted Fahada Jailani and Lindsay Mercado."

"All the girls however are determined to speak up in behalf of the thousands of young girls in the country and they will be gearing up for the next coming months as they prepare to influence key stakeholders in government to ensure that girls are at the heart of the post 2015 development agenda."

Source: Plan International Launches the Girl Declaration Project, February 2015

Then BECAUSE I AM A GIRL BRIEFING followed as part of the commemoration of Women's Month to report the state of the world's girls and to share the happenings behind the Girl Declaration Project.

Plan International shared its 2014 report on the State of the World's Girls. Paulene Santos, the Campaigns Coordinator of Plan International Philippines, shared some startling facts about the pervasive issues that girls around the world continue to face every day; namely, the lack of access to quality education, child marriage, early pregnancy, violence, sexual abuse, and gender discrimination.

Some of the facts discussed were the following:

-65 million girls across the world are out of school.1

-Globally, 1 in 5 girls of lower secondary school age is out of school.1

-Girls‟ primary school completion rates are below 50% in most poor countries.1

-Every year, 10 million girls are forced or coerced into marriage. 2

-Every 3 seconds, another girl is forced or coerced to marry. 3

-1 in every 3 girls in the developing world is married by the age of 18. 4

-1 in 7 marries before they reach the age of 15. 5

-150 million girls, and 73 million boys, under 18 have experienced rape or other forms of sexual violence. 6

-The leading cause of death for young women aged 15-19 in developing countries is pregnancy. 7

The critical role of men and boys in the process of achieving gender equality was also made clear. According to Paulene, bringing about change means men and women from across the social spectrum must challenge the status quo together. This was cited as an important element in harnessing collective power that can bring about transformative change touching on all the institutions that surround girls – the social, the economic, and the politico-legal.

The issues that girls here in the Philippines face were also discussed, as Plan International Philippines shared its data indicating that girls drop out of school for several reasons ranging from poor quality of education, poverty and child labor to socio-cultural norms and high rates of teenage pregnancy. Human trafficking was shown to be a very real problem in the country as well, especially in times of emergencies when women and adolescent girls are more susceptible to being victimized.

Plan went on to share some of its current initiatives which are aimed at addressing these issues in support of its Because I Am A Girl campaign. One of which is the recently launched Girl Declaration Project that Michelle Caindec, Plan International-Philippines Child and Youth Advocacy Coordinator, explained will allow for a youth-led advocacy to influence the government in including girls rights as an integral part of its sustainable development goals.

Source: Press Release- Plan International Reports on the State of the World’s Girls, March 2015

The Five (5) Goals of Girl Declaration Project are as follows:

1. Education which is priorized by leaders. Girls must complete secondary quality education. There must be an increase in the funding of girls education.

2. Access to safe, age appropriate health information and services.

3. Safety which means freedom from violence and exploitation.

4. Economic Security by learning to earn a safe and productive income.

5. Citizenship

How can these goals be met?

There must be improvement on girl's leadership skills. It is very important because it provides clear guide to the barriers that hold girls back from realizing their full potential and remove those barriers.

How can these be implemented?

1. YOUTH LED ADVOCACY which includes leadership workshops for the girls that focus on adolescent sexual reproductive health or teenage pregnancy and connecting with United Nations Mission in the Philippines.

2. PLATFORM AND VOICE which may influence the government to pursue girl's rights before the United Nations General Assembly before September 2015.

3. INTERNATIONAL EVENTS which include World Education Forum on May 2015 and United Nations General Assembly on September 2015.

To sum it all up, Plan International Philippines is doing its best to send its key messages for the Filipino girls to the entire counrty and the whole world- "I AM EMPOWERED...I AM PROTECTED...I AM EDUCATED...". These can all be achieved by SAFEGUARDING GIRLS' FUTURE, PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY, and IMPROVING THEIR LIVES.

Because I Am A Girl Briefing: Welcome Remarks by Badeene Verora, Country Program Advisor for Gender; Because I Am A Girl: A Global Social Movement by Paulene Santos, Campaigns Coordinator; Overview of the Girl Declaration Project by Michelle Caindec, Child and Youth Advocacy Coordinator; Message from a Girl Advocate by Lindsay Mercado, Girl Declaration Project Advocate

Sources:
1 UNESCO - UNESCO‟s Institute for Statistics Estimation

2 Bruce, J. and S. Clark (2004), “The Implications of Early Marriage for HIV/AIDS Policy”, Brief based on backgroundpaper prepared for the WHO/UNFPA/Population Council Technical Consultation on Married Adolescents New York

3 Plan's Breaking Vows: Early and Forced Marriage and Girls‟ Education, 2011

4 UNICEF (2011), “The State of the World‟s Children 2011, Adolescence: An Age of Opportunity”, New York: UNICEF Population Council

5 The Elders (2010), “Child Marriage”. Accessed 24 May 2011

6 World Health Organization, Geneva, cited in General Assembly. 2006. Report of the Independent Expert for the United Nations Study on Violence against Children

7 Because I am a Girl. The State of the World‟s Girls 2009. Girls in the Global Economy: Adding It All Up, p.51. London, Plan. World Health Organization. WHO, Women and Health

World Vision: Remembering Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) One Year On

November 10, 2014

November 8, 2014- Friday, marked the first anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan, a calamity that shook the world with compassion for Filipinos, who were devastated by this relentless storm.

The needs in all aspects were tremendous. The long-lasting effect of this typhoon could still be felt, impacting more than 14.1 million people.

Many lives were taken and for those people who survived, their livelihoods were gone.

5.9 million children were affected out of 14.1 million total people, 4.1 million people displaced, 1.1 million damaged houses, more than 6000 lost their lives, and still more than 1000 were reported as missing.

Now, they are faced with the reality of looking for new ways to earn an income, and continuing to feed their families, along with other day-to day changes post Haiyan.

World Vision has been on the ground in the relief phase and the recovery, committed to seeing these affected communities through until a time when they are again, sustainable.

WHAT WORLD VISION HAS DONE

RELIEF PHASE

In the first six months, World Vision was able to reach more than 766,000 people through provision of food, hygiene kits and emergency shelter kits.

See a flashback of World Vision relief efforts in a small community:

This was the initial onslaught when relief goods were being handed out:

During this phase, World Vision served women and children through Women and Young Children Spaces (WAYCS) and Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) while communities were mobilized to clear road, school, and farmland debris through cash for work (CFW) activities.

Learn more about what these spaces provided for people HERE:

Now, in the recovery phase, more than 66,500 beneficiaries to date through distribution of shelter materials and tool kits, and build-back-better workshops.

This video shows the build-back-better workshops:

World Vision is also committed to the repair/reconstruction of shelter and infrastructures for health centres, classrooms and WASH facilities.

To reduce the gap in learning disruptions, there were also student and teacher's kits distributed.

This video shows a distribution of student’s kit, outlining the importance of making it easier to continue children’s education.

Preparing for future disasters (Disaster Risk Reduction) and advocacy initiatives are underway. This ranges from savings groups to prepare for the inevitable, creating spaces that are less likely to damage in the event of high wind speeds for people to stay safe, along with their essential survival items.

World Vision also has the provision of alternative livelihood opportunities including seeds for planting, and distribution of livestock.

Here's a video showing the benefit of a community savings group in a disaster.

PRONE TO BAD WEATHER – WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

On July 15 2014, Typhoon Glenda swept through the provinces of Bicol Region, Leyte, Samar and Biliran Island. More than 3,000 individuals evacuated to five identified evacuation centres in Tacloban City. Various humanitarian organizations immediately responded through registration and camp management, mobilization of teams to do monitoring and psychosocial support to pregnant mothers, setting up of water bladder, activation of WASH committees at barangay level, hygiene promotion and installation of 8 temporary latrines (4 for male and 4 for female).

World Vision distributed blankets, mats and hygiene kits to more than 320 families at schools.

Sadly, if a low level typhoon hits the affected areas again while things are still fragile, it could easily send these areas into emergency phase again. The international community (all the NGO’s) are working hard to ensure that as many people are helped as soon as possible.

Let us remember and pray for the people who lost their lives, those who survived, and those who lost their loved ones.

Every survivor has a story, and it includes loss on an unimaginable scale. But it also includes resilience and empowerment, and sense of being thankful for what they have, and moving forward as best they can.

I was so fortunate that I was in the comforts of our home when the Philippines was hit by Typhoon Haiyan but my thoughts were with those who were homeless and to those who were badly affected.

This is a time to reflect, be grateful, and also remember the generosity that the whole world showed on our country in a time when we needede it most.

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MORE FACTS ABOUT TYPHOON HAIYAN:

- Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda to locals) was the Philippines 25th typhoon in 2013. They name them beginning at A and ending in Z.

- The typhoon made landfall in the municipality of Guiuan (Samar), which is where the Spanish settlers in the 16th century began to sow the seeds of Christianity. The town's church, the Church of the Immaculate Conception, is one of the oldest in the country.

- Haiyan wrought havoc in one of the country’s poorest provinces with high maternal and child health issues.

Information and Video Credits: World Vision Philippines