August 2011

"Fight for children's rights!"  bellowed Stairway kids as they embarked on an incredible fantasy adventure through Stairway in search of hidden treasure. 

August is usually fiiled with lots and lots of rain, but that did not discourage Stairway children from designing and creating their elaboate costumes and bold flags for the annual treasure hunt.  Filled with fanciful posts manned by Stairway staff donned in crazy costumes, Stairway children overcame  their challenges and emerged the crowned victors of children's rights!

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August 2011

Throughout the year, Stairway welcomes visitors from all over the world.  Some become friends and supporters of Stairway, others may come to learn, to exchange knowledge and skills, or to gain inspiration from our programs and activities.

Last June, Tim Garrish and Gabrielle Shaw from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) visited Stairway Foundation.  CEOP is an organization based in England. With a wide network of partners and supporters, CEOP is committed to the protection of children and bringing offenders to justice. In July, board members from Stairway Denmark, Tune Nyborg (chairman), Claus Abilgaard  (fund raiser) and Nils Vilsboel (secretary) visited Stairway for ten days.  Stairway Denmark is the sister organization of Stairway Foundation.  Since Stairway's inception, Stairway Denmark has raised funds to help support and to sustain Stairway's programs and activities. 

Also, in July, General Chuck Guinto, the head of the Human Rights Department under the Philippine National Police (PNP), dropped by Stairway while visiting various provincial police stations around Mindoro.   Stairway has a national partnership with the Police National Training Institute (PNTI) in which we conduct CSAP trainings in 17 training schools nationwide.

August 2011

Imagine yelling “Stop!” in the middle of a theatre performance, getting up from your seat in the audience and making your way down to the stage, replacing the protagonist and changing the course or the outcome of the play?  This is the innovative theatre technique pioneered by Augusto Boal, a Brazilian dramatist who developed the techniques of Theatre of the Oppressed.

Gualandi Volunteer Services Project (GVSP) from Cebu City and NGO Support and Empower Deaf Abused Children (SEDAC) from Metro Manila are 2 of the latest partners under the Break the Silence Network.  Both organizations work with and partly consist of Deaf people, and they all can vouch for the urgent need to create awareness on the issue of sexual abuse and exploitation amongst Deaf children.

Last July 1-3, Deaf and hearing participants from GVSP and SEDAC participated in a three-day intensive theatre workshop that explored Forum Theatre technique.  Initially beginning with exercises and games aimed at activating the five senses and creating an atmosphere of trust, fun and creativity, the objective was to create a couple of pieces of theatre derived from the experiences of the participants of which an oppression or a problem is the focus.  The last day resulted in a presentation of two devised theatre pieces in which audience members took an active part.  Performing for the first time on stage, the Deaf experienced a profound new way of expressing issues confronting the Deaf community.

August 2011

The recent arrests of 72 people from 13 different countries, that included the Philippines, on charges of Internet child pornography, has further stressed the urgency  to safeguard children against a most unexpected and most horrifying crime.

The Silang Network for Children, a local network of child rights advocates trained under SFI, is lobbying for regulation of Internet Cafes for the protection of children. 

The draft ordinance in Silang, Cavite is on the regulation of Internet Cafes for the protection of children with regards to exposure to pornography, usage of children in the production of child pornography, access to any form of pornography and gambling inside the Internet cafes.The ordinance is in support of RA 9775 or the anti-child pornography law, which has a specific provision on the regulation of Internet café’s by local government units.

August 2011

In existance since 1994, the Stairway Scholarship Program has supported hundreds of  students from the various barangays around Puerto Galera.

At the General Assembly held last June 5, Stairway distributed school supplies to 102 scholars under its Community Scholarship Program.  Recently, Stairway expanded its program into Barangay Baclayan, a small mountain community of indigenous people, the Iraya Mangyans.  From this community, four indigenous students were awarded full scholarships under the program.  The scholarships cover:  tuition fees, food allowances, project fees and uniforms.

August 2011

On May 21-24, 2011, Stairway Foundation, Inc. hosted the first Leadership Skills Camp for 25 of the local scholarship students. The camp, entitled, “My Right to be a Leader,” focused on teaching our high school scholars about discrimination, children’s rights and leadership skills. The campers came from three different Barangays, and this was the first time that many of the ethnic Tagalog students had interacted closely with youth from the indigenous Mangyan tribe. They were split into four teams and Barangays were mixed, thus challenging the campers to work with new people from different backgrounds. 

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August 2011

Last May 25-26, Stairway staff and peer motivators attended a two-day training session about First Aid and Basic Life Support.  Conducted by Calapan City Philippine National Red Cross, the training included: recognizing cardiac arrest, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (cpr), discussion of common diseases and injuries along with the applicable first aid treatment for each condition.  Participants did simulation exercises and were given a practical examination to test knowledge and skills.

August 2011

Ideally, the Women and Children Protection Desks should be the structure for addressing all abuses of women and children.  The staff under the WCPD should have the appropriate knowledge, skills and attitude in order to cater to victims of abuse.  In addition, they should have the necessary facilities in order to provide a safe environment for communicating with victims.  Not all police stations have a separate WCPD room, or even a separate space allocated to them.  The minimum privacy required to establish an atmosphere of trust and calm is rarely there. 

Since last June, Stairway began work in various precincts around Metro Manila. Based on recommendations from the chief of the National Capital Region WCPD, 15 precincts have been chosen as pilot sites for the project.  The main criterion is that the precinct should have a separate room for the WCPD Officer and the that the Chief Commander and the head of the WCPD at the station commit to the totality of this project.  We hope to complete the 15 stations targeted within 2011.

May 2011
 

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