Gender and Mindanao initiatives top Canada’s small grants program

MANILA, Philippines - The embassy of Canada announced the ten recipients of funding for projects under the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives.

This year’s recipients are: Human Development and Empowerment Services which will help internally-displaced persons to increase their awareness on violence against women and how to help prevent it, especially in evacuation and transitory sites in Zamboanga City.

Samahan ng Mamamayan Zone One Tondo, Inc. will provide workshops on gender equality and women’s rights to residents and barangay leaders in Navotas City to develop a framework for a gender responsive barangay development plan.

Mindanao News and Information Service Cooperative Center will conduct media roundtable discussions in key cities of Mindanao to train local journalists to best communicate the issues concerning the proposed Bangsamoro region.

Rainbow Rights Project will produce a booklet on sexual orientation and gender identities (SOGI) and will organize SOGI and access to justice sessions for lawyers, local LGBT groups and local government representatives.

Women Engaged in Action on 1325 will train Moro and indigenous women to improve their capacity to undertake conflict resolution and mediation in their communities.

People’s Initiative for Learning and Community Development will train community and civil society leaders in Northern Luzon to develop their capacity in participation and engagement in governance and constituency-building.

Balay Rehabilitation Center’s project aims to strengthen youth and women participation in peace-building and sustain human rights protection in communities at risk of armed conflict in Mindanao.

Kahayag Foundation’s ‘PeaceTOC’ will give police personnel in Region XI training on peace-building, strategic planning, human rights, and gender mainstreaming.

Nonviolent Peaceforce will train participants on early warning, early response (EWER) monitoring and reporting, including human rights violations, to consolidate local EWER structures in communities in southern Mindanao.

Support Service Institute for Women will conduct seminars on anti-violence against women and will set-up VAW collectives in Metro Manila.

Canada Fund is a competitive small grants program that provides direct funding assistance to community groups, non-government organizations, people’s organizations and, in exceptional cases, international NGOs and government institutions for small development projects addressing governance, economic and other social development issues.