IST/PDM

I spent last week reuniting with my original batch of 271 volunteers after being apart for almost seven months of service. We were gathered for a conference to update us on our responsibilities as PCV's and learn about how to document our service projects in our communities. It was really wonderful to see everyone and hear about all the great work going on in the Philippines. Everyone loved our advocacy materials. We were able to sell every single shirt, with lots of people still asking for more.

We were all joined by our counterparts from our respective agencies and I was reminded of how lucky I am to get to work everyday with one of my best friends. Our relationship may not always be rainbows and butterflies but we are open and honest with each other which makes an incredible difference. Arianne and I created a project proposal and learned about monitoring and evaluation techniques. We also discovered some funding opportunities that we may be able to access for Welcome House. Our project proposal went something like this...

 

Vision

A community where men are actively involved in eliminating 

sex trafficking and prostitution.

Goal

Establish a MAP - Men Against Prostitution group in the community that encompasses 80 male high school students and 25 male community members to serve as role models and peer educators on the issue of sex trafficking and prostitution by the end of June 2013.  

This idea can easily be incorporated into the advocacy work that we are already doing with our core groups in the schools and barangays. We are hoping that we can also create a short film to utilize as an advocacy tool that will showcase men speaking about why they are against prostitution and how men can help end the exploitation and marginalization of women. We recognize that it's going to be difficult to get men involved on this issue but I think it's important that we do this campaign so that at the very least, we can shift some of  the responsibility onto the men and recognize that this is not just a women's issue but a societal problem that we are all accountable for.

In the last few days of the conference Arianne was contacted by a previous client asking for help. She had been trafficked from Cebu to Luzon under the premise of a 'job in Manila' and was now stuck in a brothel in Cavite (an hour outside of Manila). Luckily she was able to meet up with us and in the space of 24 hours we were able to get her some identification then book her a seat on our flight back to Cebu. Everyone was relieved to arrive home in one piece and we are now looking forward to the implementation of our proposal in our advocacy program.