World Vision reinforces Child Protection mechanisms in Marawi City
World Vision Development Foundation, through its Marawi Peace and Protection Project, successfully implemented reinforcement of existing Child Protection mechanisms in Marawi City.
The Marawi Peace and Protection Project is a 1-year project that is part of the recovery phase of World Vision’s Marawi Armed-conflict Response. The World Vision Korea-funded project was launched last July 2018 to engage the Maranao youth and children in peacebuilding activities. The project also aims to strengthen the child-protection mechanisms in schools and in the community.
“We want to ensure the safety and protection of the children and youth. We achieve this by raising Child Protection awareness to key community leaders and the children and youth themselves. We also strengthen the existing government-mandated structures for peace and child protection. And lastly, we partner with government agencies to support us and ensure,” said Honey Joy Sampiano, World Vision Child Protection Specialist for Mindanao.
Trained youth leaders explained the referral pathway for Child Protection and Gender-based violence to youth and children in a Marawi community.
Through the project, World Vision invited community and school adult and youth representatives for the Child Protection Orientation. The series of orientations equipped the participating schools in Marawi City to form their own Child Protection committee consisting of contact persons in case of child protection emergencies. World Vision also reprinted the approved referral pathway signages which shows the agencies responsible for different child protection and gender-based violence. Lastly, the organization distributed Safeguarding Kits to all students in the nine participating schools in Marawi. The kit consists of a copy of the child protection committee, the referral pathway and a whistle for security purposes.
Lominog Manoga, the principal of Marawi City National High School, shared that their newly formed Child Protection committee is a significant project in their school. “This committee gives assurance to the students that there are people who can help them if they experience violence, like bullying,” shared the school head.
The City Director of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Marawi Division, Norhanie Marohombsar, shared that the Peace and Protection Project complements their goals of achieving child-friendly communities. “We are inspired by the work of World Vision and we will complement it by reactivating our Barangay Council for the Protection of Children in the city,” the director said.
“This project is a legacy of World Vision in our city. We will ensure that these efforts will be sustained for a long time,” the Schools Division Superintendent of DepEd Marawi, Pharida Sansarona, confirmed.
The project reached 4,606 children and youth with its Child Protection interventions.
Our goals are to protect Filipino children, save their lives, reduce their suffering, protect their livelihoods and strengthen their community. Children are at the center of everything we do. They are the key to a bright future for these communities.
