From left to right, Ambassador Toshinao Urabe, Dr. Chirstopher Samson, President of Bidlisiw Board of Trustees,
Ms. Lolita Ganapin, Executive Director of Bidlisiw Foundation, Inc., Ms. Tensie Villa, Vice President of the Board,
Ms. Irene Yusingco, Treasurer of the Board
Ambassador Toshinao Urabe attended the turn-over ceremony of “The Project for the Rebuilding of Community-based Facility in Mandaue City,” on 29 November 2012. The project amounting to US$88,459 (approximately 3.9 million pesos) is funded through the Embassy of Japan's Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP).
Although Mandaue City is part of Cebu's commercial district, informal settlement areas are present due to the increasing number of poor families, including those coming from other provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao. In these informal settlement areas, there are children who get involve d in prostitution, with many of them suffering from illnesses including sexually transmitted infections and are also affected by psychological disorders.
Bidlisiw Foundation, Inc., a local non-government organization has been supporting children in Cebu, particularly those who are called as commercially and sexually exploited children (CSEC). The foundation has been implementing various activities such as the provision of sessions on therapy, health education, alternative learning and vocational skills training, with the goal of reintegrating the children into the society and their homes. In addition, the foundation has also been supporting the families of CSEC through livelihood training programs and counseling to facilitate the reintegration of CSEC into their families. For more than 20 years, the foundation has provided various assistances to around 700 children and 3,000 family members. However, the facility currently being used by the foundation has seen its toll through the years and is already dilapidated. Additionally, equipment necessary for their programs are also lacking.
Under these circumstances, Bidlisiw Foundation, Inc. sought the assistance from the Embassy of Japan for the construction of a community-based facility to serve as a venue for the various programs and activities to cater to an estimated 2,200 children and their family members each year. The facility is a two-storey building and mainly consists of classrooms, a clinic, a training room, and a stockroom. Furthermore, the project includes procurement of equipment for educational programs such as desks, chairs, and audiovisual appliances, a s well as basic medical equipment such as thermometers and an examining table .
In his message, Ambassador Urabe emphasized the importance of protecting children. He described the concept of Human Security, which is one of the pillars of Japanese aid policy. He concluded that it is his sincere wish that the project would be a help to the children in trouble, quoting a Japanese proverb “children are our treasures.”
The Government of Japan, as the top ODA donor in the Philippines, launched the GGP in the country in 1989 for the purpose of reducing poverty and helping various communities engaged in grassroots activities. As of November 2012, 468 grassroots projects have funded by GGP, ranging from roughly 1 to 4 million pesos, have been implemented by NGOs, local government units and other non-profit organizations. The total grant for these projects so far amounts to US$22.5 million. Japan believes that this project will strengthen not only friendship between the peoples of Japan and the Philippines but also the existing strategic partnership between Japan and the Philippines.
Japanese Version
