August 2012

One of the best ways to get children to learn is through play and what better way to help new Stairway kids to learn about their rights and the environment than with a treasure hunt?  Exciting, engaging and unforgettable, the children followed treasure maps and encountered fun obstacles and challenges.

Donned in colorful costumes, staff and children participated in the full-day event.  "We're amazed that we can work together as a group," expressed the children.  "We give our trust to one another not only in dealing with the challenges, but also when it comes to answering questions." 

At the end of the hunt, the children enjoyed the wonderful treats found in the buried treasure chests.  It was indeed a great day!

Click here to view images.

July 2012

The first half of 2012 has been quite active for the staff of the Advocacy and Capacity Building Team of Stairway.  Since that time, the team has directly reached 9,163 persons with direct CRC/CSAP sessions. These include police officers and recruits, government and NGO social workers and social development workers, people from the community including parents and Barangay officials, teachers from public and private schools as well as children. This number also includes trainings in South East Asia (Thailand and Malaysia) through the Break the Silence Campaign.

July 2012

Replication has always been the main strategy for the Break the Silence campaign in providing awareness, support and protection to communities and children about child sexual abuse prevention. 

Children with disabilities and in particular, Deaf children, are highly vulnerable to child sexual abuse.  In light of this, Stairway Foundation has put special focus on reaching out to this particular sector of society with the Break the Silence campaign.  The Gualandi Volunteer Services Program (GSV) of Cebu City and the Support and Empower Abused Deaf Children (SEDAC) of Quezon City are using the BTS stategy of replication to reach out to the Deaf community.  Currently, GSVP has facilitated trainings, through Stairway, in different areas in Visayas and Mindinao, namely Bohol, Dumaguete and Davao.  Further, SEADC has trained themselves and other Deaf advocates who are reaching out to different parts of Metro Manila.

Click here for a listing of our trainings.

For more information for CSAP trainings please contact us at:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

July 2012

Lack of food and a decent place to eat are the main concerns of children living in the street according to former street children in Stairway's Residential Program.  When asked by the children how they perceive police officers their comments were as follow:  "They are arrogant becasue they have guns."  "They exploit street children by using them to extort money."

Since late July, former street children, who are now Peer Motivators in Stairway's Residential Program, have taken on their roles as child advocates.  An unprecedentd move, the Peer Motivators are helping to educate future police officers from the Philippine National Police Academy.  During the 2-day visit, the cadets learn first-hand about the lives of street children, the issues they are confronted with, as well as their relationship with the polce and how they perceive them.

June 2012

Stairway began developing the Daughter animation in 2001.  The purpose for creating such an animation was to address the issue of child sexual abuse in an innovative and non-threatening way that could transcend cultural and language barriers.  Since that time thousands have watched the Daughter animation through our Break the Silence trainings not only here in the Philippines but also in other countries like:  Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.  Through these trainings many have been compelled to share their own stories of sexual abuse and to pick up the cudgel to fight against it in all of its forms.

Last June 20, Ace Diloy, one of the senior trainers of the CSAP team, gave a training in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  After the training, a participant sent a reflection on the Daughter animation and how it affected her.

June 2012

Hide and Seek is a game that all children enjoy playing.  Everyone hides while whoever is the “It” tries to seek them out.  It was simple enough to play, but not for 10 year old Jolo, who one day played the innocent game with his siblings in an ironic twist of fate… 

He was the “It.”  He counted to ten and went to seek them out.  He looked in bushes and behind tree trunks, but he could not find anyone.  “They are really good hiders,” he thought and continued looking until finally he got tired and gave up.  A strand of fear wove its way through his young mind, worried, he ran back to his house thinking he would find them there.  But when he arrived, the door was bolted shut.  He knocked and no one answered.  He cried and went away. 

Jolo is the smallest, the youngest, and the one with the biggest smile of the entire batch of new kids who was accepted in Stairway’s Residential Program.

June 2012

We are currently in the third week of the Baclayan Elementary School Feeding Program. Each school day parents of the elementary students cook a nutritious lunch that is served within the recently built school kitchen. Since the commencement of the program on January 9^th, daily attendance rates have more than doubled. We hope the feeding program will continue tonot only encourage children to go to school but also support the development of a genuine love of learning.  The Feeding Program will act as a springboard for the continued implementation of Stairway’s mandate: “protection of children’s rights – by empowering children through learning in order to mitigate prejudices and poverty. 

Baclayan is one of the barangays in Puerto Galera that is primarily inhabited by the Mangyan indigenous people of Oriental Mindoro.  Survivingprimarily off of subsistence agriculture and the selling of baskets to tourists, the Mangyan peoples of Baclayan face constant discrimination and poverty.

June 2012

Every child has the right to an education which develops their personality, talents and abilities to the fullest. 

Last June 2, Stairway provided for 110 scholars for the 2012-2013 school term..  Preparations for the annual distribution of school supplies and uniforms went smoothly in part because of the help of some of the college and high school scholars who assisted with the packing and listing of supplies.  The distribution was attended by parents and scholars with a range of activities that included a review of the 2011-2012 scholarship program, revisiting the policy and rules of the scholarship program and welcoming of the new scholars.  Aside from school supplies, the scholarship also provides for:  tuition fees, a monthly allowance, Parent Teacher Association contributions, fare allowance, lunch allowance and school projects. 

During the summer break, Stairway provides summer tutorials and workshops for scholars as well as CSAP sessions for both the scholars and their parents.

Click here to learn more about the Stairway Community Scholars Program.

June 2012

Young people helping young people is always something positive and powerful.

A team of students from an American high school in Exeter, New Hampshire are embarking on a project to raise funds to produce a documentary film in an effort to promote global awareness to the plight of street children and Stairway Foundation's work to help them.  The students will travel from the United States to the Philippines in late July this year.  They will stay for three weeks and follow the children under Stairway's program.  An interesting aspect of the film is how the students themselves will be shaped by the experience of interacting with the children and learning about their realities.

For more information please visit The Stairway Project at:  www.indiegogo.com/thestairwayproject.