The quiet town of Clarin, Misamis Occidental in Northern Mindanao is awakened by a group of women eagerly gathering in a small store.   They would often meet in the morning to talk about the situation of women in their area – from learning sessions on women’s empowerment to discussing reports of domestic abuse. Other times, […]

International humanitarian and development organization Oxfam Pilipinas and women’s rights organizations launched a photo exhibition to mark the 10th anniversary of the passage of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Law or Republic Act 10354 in Quezon City on Friday. The photo exhibition, “RPRH Law: Isang Dekada Na,” which opened to the public from December 9 […]

For someone who is barely five feet, 17-year-old “Nana” walks tall and proud among volunteers in the small rural town of Ganassi in Lanao del Sur.   With a smile as bright as sunshine, Nana recalled how at 14, she was among Grade 8 students selected to be part of an advocacy training facilitated by the […]

Written by Jang Monte-Hernandez| It was a busy day at the health center in Ganassi, a small rural municipality of 32 villages in the province of Lanao del Sur. Mothers carrying their infants were falling in line to get vaccinated while health workers take turns welcoming patients. It is market day in Ganassi and residents from […]

For someone who is barely five feet, 17-year-old “Nana” walks tall and proud among volunteers in the small rural town of Ganassi in Lanao del Sur.   With a smile as bright as sunshine, Nana recalled how at 14, she was among Grade 8 students selected to be part of an advocacy training facilitated by the […]

Members of the ‘Girl Defenders’ alliance on Wednesday welcome the signing of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) No. 11596, also known as an “An Act Prohibiting the Practice of Child Marriage and Imposing Penalties for Violations Thereof.” The Philippines Department of Social Welfare and Development and the international humanitarian and […]

Christine, Dianne, and Anna have been friends long before they learned how to read and write. From varying school crushes that were often the center of their conversations, the three girls now share a different experience — motherhood.

While their husbands are out fishing, nine women in the island community of Sitio Linao gather regularly to discuss their business enterprise. The women have been saving Php 50 weekly, which they used to start a hog-raising business.  Shirley Voces, one of the members of the Linao Self Help Group (SHeG) said, “our husbands did […]

The Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines, together with its humanitarian partners and the Cultural Center of the Philippines launched “The Last Mile” photo exhibition at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Little Theater Lobby.    The exhibition is being re-launched in Manila as part of the CCP’s Children Biennale and in commemoration of […]

G20 countries are receiving $136 million every day in debt repayments from the world’s poorest countries at a time when up to 828 million people are facing hunger. The “cost of living” crisis is more accurately a “cost of profit” crisis – of rising billionaire wealth and corporate mega-profits – that is driving up poverty, hunger, […]