Background 
 
Advancing gender justice holds a special place in Oxfam’s heart. It means full equality and equity between women, men, LGBTQIA+, and non-binary people in all matters that affect their lives. As an organization that believes that gender should be at the heart and the start of everything it does, pushing for the equal rights of everyone is crucial.   

Oxfam Pilipinas has been working to address inequality that disproportionately affects women and girls in all their diversities in the Philippines and is often exacerbated by vulnerability to hazards and disasters, gender-based violence, barriers to women’s economic empowerment, and threats to peace and security. While the Philippines has improved in terms of addressing gender equality from 19^th place in 2022 to 16^th place this year, the report also says that much can be done to achieve gender equality fully. For instance, the report also says that gender gaps in political leadership persist. Data from UN Women also showed that women aged 15-49 years old often face barriers concerning their sexual and reproductive health and rights. The same report also showed that 5.9% of women had been subjected to physical and sexual violence by their partners. Women still carry the brunt of unpaid care and domestic work at home, spending an average of 13 hours a day as compared to 8 hours for men.  When hazards and armed conflicts happen, women and girls still endure severe and sustained mental, physical, economic, and sexual health consequences following displacements and other challenges caused by armed conflicts and the climate crisis. Social protection, a powerful tool for governments to reduce inequality, vulnerability, and poverty, especially for women, also remains elusive. Data from the 2020 Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and International Labour Organization report showed that less than half of the population in the Asia Pacific region, including the Philippines, is protected only by at least one social protection scheme, with women being particularly disadvantaged. The Philippines also ranked low in terms of reducing inequality through respect for labor rights and fair wages. Data showed that the Philippines is in the bottom 20 of the countries with the lowest minimum wages, putting the low-paid workers at risk of exploitation. There is also a significant pay disparity among women in the Philippines, with women earning only 78% of what men usually earn. This pay disparity is even more pronounced in rural areas where women earn just 43% of men’s earnings. In the Philippines and other parts of the world, the safety of LGBTQIA+ is being compromised by actions of various state and non-state actors. One of these is the prevalence of harmful gender and social norms that perpetuate discrimination and violence against the LGBTQIA+ community.    

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS 

Oxfam Pilipinas has launched a media story grant to highlight the critical inequality issues affecting everyone, especially women and girls in all their diverse and intersecting identities, as part of its National Women’s Month celebration in March 2024. The stories should also promote the current efforts and proposed solutions to address the issues. It may also highlight the efforts of communities and grassroots organizations that are championing gender equality.  

Local, regional, and national Filipino journalists are invited to send story pitches for either a feature article or a photo essay on issues women and girls face in the Philippines. The chosen journalists will be given a one-time grant of P15,000 to pursue, write, and publish the story for their news organization or partner publication. 

We are looking for stories that feature any of the following issues: 

• Discrimination and violence against women and girls, including child, early and forced marriages  

• Unequal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights services and information about women and girls, highlighting unintended adolescent pregnancies  

• Unequal representation of women in leadership positions, peace and security, and other development issues  

• Unequal impacts of the climate crisis and armed conflicts on women and girls  

• Unequal access to livelihoods and economic and learning opportunities.  

• Food insecurity of women and girls  

• The unequal burden of unpaid care and domestic work  

• The unequal access to energy, especially in island and rural off-grid communities   

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR 

Journalists with at least three years of media experience are eligible to apply. They must also ensure the quality and accuracy of their stories and be ethical and gender-sensitive during their fieldwork. 

YOUR COMMITMENT FOR THE STORY GRANT 

1. Grantees will need to produce either a feature article or a photo essay. 

• A feature article should be around 750 to 1,000 words. It must also have an accompanying photo by the author or a contributor.  
• The photo essay must be around 8-10 photographs. 

2. The output should be published in any traditional media outlet or a news website in time for National Women’s Month in March 2024. Freelance journalists may apply, but it is preferred that they have the assurance of a news editor that the articles will be published.  

3. The journalist must also attend a one-day online session on gender-sensitive and inclusive reporting with Oxfam Pilipinas. 

4. The published stories may include a note that the story was developed with support from Oxfam Pilipinas. 

HOW TO APPLY 

Interested journalists must send the following: 

• Curriculum Vitae 
• Portfolio or sample works (written articles or photo essays) 
• Application letter, including story pitch and name of the news outlet where the output will be published  

Email them to Oxfam Pilipinas’ Media Lead Denvie Balidoy at DBalidoy@oxfam.org.uk and media@oxfam.org.ph 

We will be choosing five journalists for this story grant.  

The deadline for submission of applications will be on January 26, 2024.