Our Blog: Philippines

Sharing the Fight Against OSEC with SPECS Foundation

When lockdowns were starting to ease up in the Philippines last year, one of the partnerships we started and met face-to-face with, was with the SPECS foundation. SPECS or Spiritual, Physical, Educational, Cultural, and Social Foundation has a shelter for abused children and mainly reaches out to poor communities in Manila.

Seeing the damaging effects of the pandemic on the families in high-risk communities they reach out to, the SPECS foundation asked our HONOR team to train their children beneficiaries on how to protect themselves online. Today, we strengthen such partnerships and trained the parents this time around. It was a lively discussion with these parents knowing that their children attended the same training, the only difference being this time, as parents, we discussed house rules we can implement and questions we can start asking our children to know more about their activities online.

Just a few moments after our session, as we were leaving the area, we came across two attendees. The first mom we saw was sitting beside a neighbor and she was sharing our parents' booklet with her. She shared that it was a very helpful seminar. At the other corner of the street, we saw another mom and she excitedly shared with us that she picked up her daughter from school. While walking home, she asked her daughter about what videos on Youtube she watch, if there are strangers chatting with her, etc. It was very encouraging to see these moms joyfully apply what they have learned. It may be simple questions or simple handing out of booklets, but such actions are steps towards fighting against OSEC.

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Sheryl's New Opportunity at Safe Haven

A very crowded family of 15 members makes up Sheryl's" family (name changed for privacy). Her family lives in a remote village in Nepal and they are involved in agriculture and labor work. As a consequence of the weak economic conditions, she was unable to continue her studies and had to drop out of school to help support her family.

Initially, Sheryl was engaged in labor work and was working under a contractor who built houses near the border, as well as across the border. She was earning good wages, but after some time, the contractor took her across the border.

One day, she was hired as a laborer to do construction and the contractor forced her to engage in sexual activity with him. In order to keep working, she was threatened and told she needed to keep providing sexual services.

Later, he brought friends and sold her to sleep with them for money. After this incident, she stopped going to work and her problem was taken to the local authority of the village.

A victim of sexual abuse and trafficking, she was brought to 3 Angels Nepal's Safe Haven for safety, skill training, and to protect herself from future human trafficking.

A few days after arriving at Safe haven, she explained that she had learned how to sew in her village but had not been able to continue due to a lack of opportunity and motivation. Her wonderful opportunity and freedom from her problems have led her to learn fine stitching at a local garment business and she is enjoying her time learning new things and being able to earn through her new livelihood.

 

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Teacher Yu Qian's Kung Fu

Yu Qian, a teacher from Suzhou, Anhui Province, is an one of the pioneer volunteer teachers in the Support A Volunteer Teacher Program that we have in China. This is her fourth serving term. Teacher Yu is affectionately called "Goddess" because of her wisdom and good communication.

Teacher Yu is responsible for math teaching in grade four and music teaching in grades two, three and four this semester, and also serves as the head teacher of grade four.

In teaching, Ms. Yu has a set of "kungfu". She is good at guiding students to solve problems independently. The class is full of interest, and students are more active in thinking under her guidance.

She is just one of the volunteer teachers we support in China.

We are currently partnering with five remote mountainous Sichuan schools where our volunteer teachers will be located. These volunteer teachers don’t receive a salary, but live off the support from this program to meet their food, accommodation and transport expenses. Access to these schools is difficult, and these schools struggle to get teachers because of the harsh weather and isolation so your support means a lot to the students.

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Tubi Ermo: Reaching for the Stars

I am Tubi Ermo, a Grade 10 student sponsored by you. Last semester was difficult as I was still adjusting to high school. I found out that my favorite subject is English. But I realized that a junior high school level would not be enough for the exams, so I am now focusing on building up my vocabulary.

This semester has been rewarding despite the difficulties. I have made friends and learned a lot. My teachers and classmates have been very supportive and helpful when I’m frustrated, especially in mathematics. I also have an inspirational role model to look up to, the actress Zhao Jinmai, as a source of determination and courage. Through her hard work, she became a well-known actress. Her spirit of striving and fighting for herself keeps inspiring me.

I am deeply grateful for your support and kindness that has helped me mentally and materially. Your generosity will leave a lasting impression in my heart. I believe ‘the star never questions the walkers, and the time never betrays the determined ones.’ Every one of us who swims upstream against the river will be the unique rainbow after a storm. I also believe that such virtue will engrave in people’s hearts. Thank you for your support, and hoping for your good fortune and a bright future!

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Saraswoti Secured 2nd Position

Saraswoti is from Ramauli village. Her family lives in squatter settlements and works as sand Sievers and fish throughout the day for a living. Although they worked hard, they hardly made any savings and could not afford school fees for her. Saraswoti left her studies and got engaged in her family work at the riverside. 

When she was assessed, her passion for studies was found to be high; so was her risk of being trafficked and abused at the riverbank. She was enrolled back to school under the Captivating Village Project's scholarship program. 

She is talented and secured second position in the recent interschool quiz competition and expressed her joyfulness and was thankful for the support.

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School Principal Praises Hamro Abhiyan Program

Last March 15, the Hamro Abhiyan team of 3 Angels Nepal traveled from Pokhara to Chitwan to Manahari to conduct two education and awareness events. Fully funded by Captivating International, Hamro Abhiyan is a school-based awareness and prevention strategy rolling out across schools located in trafficking hot spots due to the poverty of their communities. With a complete set of Hamro Abhiyan materials, one of the events was conducted at Shree Bharmakali Secondary School in Ramuli Village area. 83 students actively participated.

The principal of Shree Bharmakali Secondary School came to praise our Hamro Abhiyan team for including each student in every Hamro Abhiyan activity. According to the principal, to continue the campaign, he will have every student and other social and health teachers work on the human trafficking issue to raise awareness among others since they have learned a lot from Hamro Abhiyan.

After completing the first event, the team traveled to the next school. 94 students participated from Shree Rastriya Rotary Secondary School located in the countryside.

One of the new teachers in Shree Bharmakali secondary school class came out of her class to observe the activities of Hamro Abhiyan.  She said the program was the best way to make people aware with their maximum involvement. She thanked the organization for coming to their school to conduct a program that was related to society and teenagers.

This year alone, over 5,000 students from 70 schools in at-risk locations will participate in this education and awareness program. Fully funded by Captivating, this program results in students relaying their learning to the whole school body, and taking the messages of warning home to their families.

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If you would like to know more or be a part of this project, click on the buttons below or contact us directly at info@captivating.org.

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An Attempt to Traffic Cielo

Cielo's (name changed for privacy) family worked on farmlands owned by others and were very poor, so her parents sent her to her aunt in Hetauda where she completed high school. Her family is from Dhading and now she is 23 years old.

As soon as she finished graduation, she began looking for work in other districts, which her aunt did not like. Her aunt urged her to return, but she never returned and was in contact with people offering jobs to her. A man who claimed to take her to Japan through India easily fooled her into thinking she was going to Japan.

The reality is that going to Japan is very difficult because it requires fluency in the Japanese language, a passport, and a visa, which she did not have. He told her that he would take her easily from India, which is impossible, and this was a clear indication that he was trying to traffic her.

Her aunt discovered that Cielo was on the way to India with a man who was trafficking her, so she contacted the Lothar help desk and reported the incident. With the help of 3 Angels Nepal, she was tracked through a telephone call. In coordination with the police, she was received and brought to the Women Safe Haven for safety.

In the process of being counseled, she realized that although she had a dream of getting to Japan, she had neglected to consider the requirements.

As she learned about the traffickers, she became aware of how easily she fell for their tricks. She was advised to go to Japan through an official consultation service that provides legal assistance. She was reunited with her family.

 

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From Streets to Schools

Dolores is one of the families we help in the Manila Slum Project, our back to school program in the Philippines. This project aims to assist 200 underprivileged children in Manila slum communities.

When we visited Dolores' home, she was preparing the flowers she would sell in the streets that morning. She warmly welcomed us and shared her story. Dolores and her children used to live in a wooden cart under a flyover. Her children experienced being drenched by the rain and due to the dangers of living in the street, she lost one of her children. She was helped by a friend to get a small place in the slum and she built her house from materials they got from the junkshop.

Though they have that place to sleep in at night, Dolores and her children would still stay in the streets during the day to sell and beg. Dolores hopes for a better future for her children and that is why she is grateful that they are part of HONOR’s program in helping children from the slum attend and thrive in school.

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