It is fascinating how a single box downstage center can transform into an other world where mesmerizing stories long hidden away are brought to the light of the surface. 

Last April 25-30, Deaf students from SEADC of Metro Manila and GVSP of Cebu completed their first training block to become CSAP advocates for the Deaf community.  A part of the training blocks includes sessions in creative drama which are designed to stimulate creativity, imagination and theatrical inventiveness that will be useful in educating children in CSAP as well as for developing innovative forms of creative advocacy. 

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CSAP reaches Deaf children

As a strategy for advocacy, Stairway's CSAP team has always believed in capacitating partners in order for them to reach out to the sectors they worked with. Employing this strategy supports the multiplying effect of creating more CSAP advocates catering to different locations, and sectors.

The need to reach out to the Deaf community cannot be stressed more than enough. Deaf childrens vulnerability to abuse is much more higher compared to their hearing counterparts, the institutions mandated to handle abuse cases of children are not really ready to handle Deaf children, and the access of the Deaf on materials for advocacy on child protection are very limited. That is why, thru the help of De La Salle College of Saint Benilde - School for Deaf Education and Applied Studies, as well as the US Peace Corp, the animation trilogy provided with sign language video insets presented a huge leap towards accessibility for the Deaf on materials like this.

The accessability of the materials however should be complemented by having these reach out to their intended audiences - in this case, the Deaf community, especially Deaf children. Thus, SFI forged a partnership with 2 organizations working with the Deaf - SEADC of Metro Manila and GVSP of Cebu. Stairway is now in the process of providing trainings for these 2 partners in order for them to become CSAP advocates for the Deaf community. They have just finished the 1st of 4 training blocks intended to built up their capacities as CSAP advocates using the animation trilogy with sign language insets.

They are now starting doing the specially designed CSAP sessions for Deaf children. There are 3 session modules, and each session run for about 2 hours each. The design of the module was a result of the 1st training block at Stairway, wherein SEADC and GVSP determined, and tested out what would be an effective session for Deaf children as their learning dynamics is different from the hearing.

Based on initial feedbacks and observations, results have been very good, as the Deaf children who are undergoing the session are responding quite well. Another aspect of the training program for these NGOs working with the Deaf is the development of the organizations, and the persons involved. We are now seeing an expanded sense of purpose with these groups as they do advocacy which is not traditionally being done in the Deaf community, as well as a heightened sense of readiness with the individual CSAP facilitators, as shown on how comfortable they are now in running the CSAP sessions.

We hope that with this project, we can manage to fill up the gaping hole on advocacy for children's rights and child sexual abuse prevention for Deaf children in the Philippines.

Prior to the Easter holidays when thousands of tourists land on the beaches of Puerto Galera, SFI distributed Break the Silence uniforms to 94 local women who are working as masseuses in and around the tourist resorts.  All of the women have undergone a few days of training in child protection with the specific objective to be able to identify any kind of abuse of children.

During the session of handing over the uniforms, one masseuse related that a foreign tourist asked her the meaning of "Break the Silence."  She said, "We serve as the eye of the community to protect children."  Another woman related that a local tourist had expressed appreciation for their active involvement in child protection.

The calendar of Philippine festivities is an exhilarating collection of revelries and special events. Every month offers various celebrations on every town and city. And Puerto Galera is no exception. 

In preparation for the annual Puerto Galera festival held last May 4, Stairway was invited by the local barangay council to work with 30 young people and Stairway kids to stage a performance piece for the grand event.  With little notice and limited financial resources, SFI workers pooled their creative forces and came up with a beautiful 10-minute dance performance called 'Paraiso." 

The day of the event, the children performed beautifully amongst an eclectic array of awe-inspiring processions and grand street merry-making.

For 19 consecutive years, the children and staff from Elsie Gaches Village have come to Stairway for their annual summer camps.  They enjoy the pristine beaches, the hiking in the mountains, swimming, dancing, singing, painting, and many other fun and engaging activities.  What's even more special about the camp is that the Stairway children are the resource persons supporting and facilitating the activities during these camps. 

Elsie Gaches Village is the national center for mentally challenged people here in the Philippines.  

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What better way to entertain a group of young and old people alike than with puppets? 

Last April 20, Stairway kids and guests had a brilliant time creating puppets out from old socks and odds and ends with wonderful Peace Corps volunteer, Susi Hicks.  A veteran in the art of puppet making, Susi started off the workshop with a delightful rendition of the Gingerbread Man.  The audience members had a great time taking part in the story.  Later, the children made  their own fanciful sock puppets, and then created a lovely puppet show.  Thanks Susi!  What a fun experience.


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Aside from participating in the on-going summer activities happening in Stairway, children who will remain in the residential program for another term will participate in various livelihood skills training activities, such as baking, gardening, marketing, as well as sharping their academic skills with daily tutorials in math and reading.

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It is definitely inspiring to see 10 young women (16-23) who come from the poorest of the poor families in Manila to stand in front of a full-house of more than a hundred people and sing with compassion and confidence. 

Stairway had the pleasure of hosting the incomparable Minstrels Rhythm of Hope with their conductor, Jun Mapa, and founder, Alain Pronovost, a Canadian national who also is the founder of Kaibigan Ermita Outreach Foundation (KEOF).  Stairway's oldest partner, Kaibigan caters to urban poor children in Manila.

The choral group has performed extensively in Europe and Canada and will be touring again later this year.  When they are not traveling, the choir members work in depressed areas in Manila lending their time and potentials to underprivileged children.

Stairway's Youth for Change Camp program extends back to when we first performed "Goldtooth, a Street Children's Musical" at the International School Manila (ISM) in 1999. 

As a result, the first students and teachers from ISM's annual ICARE program made their way to Stairway to be a part of our Youth for Change Camps.  Making a deep and lasting impact on both teachers and students, the program began to grow.  This year, three new schools joined the growing list of international schools participating in the Youth for Change Camps:  International School Bombay, Roedkilde Gymnasium from Denmark and most recently, Taejon Christian School from Korea

Stairway Foundation would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you who have been instrumental in making the camps the best they can be and especially in helping to make a lasting difference in the lives of others.  Learn more...