Twenty years ago on Earth Day, April 22, the seeds of a dream to create a foundation were planted, and since that time Stairway Foundation has grown and flourished to become the organization that it is today.   Through innovation, dedication and networking, the foundation has touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of children and professionals working in the field of child protection. We would like to extend our gratitude and thanks to all of you who have helped to nurture the dream in helping us to make a significant difference where it is most needed.

Mothers of local scholars from San Antonio attended a one-day session on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and Child Sexual Abuse Prevention (CSAP) last July 10, 2010. Many  parents expressed that they use corporal punishment and verbal assault to discipline their children. This method of punishment is not unique to many families.  Thus it is imperative to increase efforts to educate parents on the CRC and CSAP as a way to empower them to become pro-active in the protection and the development of their children.

SFI recently hosted a partners meeting last June 21-23 for its NGO partners under its last 1 year special project. The partners talked about their experiences in implementing CSAP for the past year, and their plans on how to continue the advocacy. There are plans of continuing the formal collaboration in order to multiply the efforts in creating CSAP resource centers all over the country in order to spread awareness against child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Social Work students from the City College of Manila (CCM) recently finished a three-day training on Basic Communication Skills in Handling Child Sexual Abuse Victims in Stairway, from 27-29 May 2010.  The 10-member team was the third batch of students to undergo a series of trainings meant to equip them to be peer counselors in CCM.  "I never realized how important it is to know oneself first before trying to help others," one participant wrote in her reflections.  Self-awareness is a major topic Taboclaon emphasized throughout the sessions.  Various skills and techniques may be learned, but without a clear picture of who one is, the helping relationship will not be productive and may even get in the way of the client's healing and recovery.  The three-day skills training discussed and demonstrated the communication micro-skills needed in counseling and selected expressive arts meant to encourage client's disclosures.  The importance of taking care of the self was also tackled.