Minister for Economic Affairs Akio Isomata of the Embassy of Japan will attend the turnover ceremony of “The Project for the Construction of Bangsamoro Human Wellness Center” on 15 February 2011 in Barangay Capiton, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao. The grant of US$78,383 or equivalent to approximately 3.5 million pesos is funded through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP). The project consists of the construction of a two-storey building complete with facilities for providing services such as counseling, psychosocial sessions, skills training and temporary shelter.
The grant support s the initiatives of the United Youth of the Philippines (UNYPHIL)-Women, a local Non-Government Organization assisting abused women and children who were traumatized from the armed conflict s in the r egion and also those women and children who experienced different forms of physical and sexual abuse, illegal recruitment or trafficking, as well as domestic violence. UNYPHIL-Women provides psychosocial interventions, legal and medical assistance and other capacity building activities towards the improvement of their situation. However, due to the lack of a facility to accommodate these initiatives and activities , UNYPHIL-Women was constrained to conduct the activities in evacuation centers or in the houses of the women which were not conducive to trauma healing interventions. In addition, UNYPHIL-Women sometimes rented function halls for their activities which are also very costly and cannot provide the holistic package of assistance, which most women in crisis need.
With the newly constructed wellness center, the first of its kind in the Province of Maguindanao, abused women and children can now have an accessible facility where their needs can be addressed. The center will provide temporary accommodation, counseling, livelihood skills training, and protection of women from further hazard and violence. Japan believes that this project will not only strengthen friendship between the peoples of Japan and the Philippines, but also contribute to fostering a strategic partnership between the two countries towards the future.
This project has been implemented under the J-BIRD or Japan-Bangsamoro Initiatives for Reconstruction and Development. The Government of Japan , as the top donor of the official development assistance for the Philippines, launched the J-BIRD in December 2006 as part of its commitment to support ing peace and development efforts in Mindanao. J-BIRD has assisted construction or rehabilitation of school buildings, health facilities, training centers, and water supply systems. As of early February, 2011, forty-one (41) projects have been implemented as J-BIRD project, amounting to around USD 3 million.
