Empowering Dioceses/Archdioceses for Parish-based Women and Children Protection Program

Vision: Every child live in a safe, healthy, nurturing, and protective environment, and is free from all forms of neglect, violence, exploitation, and discrimination.

Goal: By the end of 2027, a significant reduction of cases of abuse, violence, exploitation, neglect, and discrimination of children in local church communities.

Background and reason for the project:
In the Philippines the SPCC realizes that the best way to live out the Salvatorian Sisters’ charism and mission priorities is to accompany the millions of Filipino children and women who are marginalized and disadvantaged as they strive to fulfill their rights to survival, development, protection, and participation towards fullness of life. Many children suffer under the consequences of the great material poverty of their parents. The children do not attend school because they have to work even under hazardous conditions. In families, children often experience violence and sexual abuse, also due to the widespread use of drugs. Those who flee usually end up on the streets and are completely defenseless.

SPCC National Office was established in 2005 due to the need to mentor, monitor and supervise SPCC NCR and SPCC Cebu. As the implementation of the program continued, some other dioceses, archdioceses and even prelature have been getting in touch with SPCC National Office and asking for help towards the same program, a great challenge, yet a seen need as important and urgent.

SPCC has focused its efforts on helping our partner dioceses become more fully child-friendly building safe, caring, and protective environment for children and women in local church communities. SPCC promotes the establishment of a parish-based child and women protection program as integral component of the overall parish pastoral program. It supports the training and organizing of Child Rights Advocates (CRAs) – adults, teens and kids in the parish who become the front-line workers in the care and protection of children and women.

The protection of women and children particularly those who are victims or vulnerable to abuse is a continuing challenge in the community and SPCC National Office has identified the major areas of concern facing it as a pastoral program as: (a) replicating and introducing the program in targeted Diocese/Archdiocese in the Philippines in order to reach as many children and women as possible, particularly the disadvantaged and in need of special protection; (b) scaling up the program by way of using the two diocesan approach or strategy; (c) ensuring the continuity and sustainability of the program.

Activities to be focused from January 2025
to December 2027:

• Advocate for the adoption of the SPCC approach in building child-friendly dioceses/archdioceses and communities as a viable model for parish ministry for children and women through wider advocacy, awareness, capacity building and by strengthening local and international networking.
• Identify financial sustainability strategies on how to sustain the program.
• Develop the SPCC Mobile Training Program through production of various SPCC Information, Education, and Communication (IEC), training modules with outline and session plans, and program guides to be used by dioceses/archdioceses with women and children protection program.
• Attend to walk-in and referred clients needing help by way of case management and build up the directory of agencies working for and on behalf of women and children for a stronger referral and support system.
• Provide emergency and relief assistance to children and their families who are victims of natural disaster, calamities and on-going pandemic.
• Supervise the Mobile Book Reading Program in the diocese of Alaminos and diocese of Cubao.
• Monitor the progress, assess the impact of the program on the lives of individual children, women and their families in the different parishes and dioceses/archdioceses being handled by the SPCC NCR and SPCC Cebu.
• Document successful strategies and models of practice towards the establishment of women and children protection program in parishes/dioceses and archdioceses.
• Develop the competencies of SPCC National Office, SPCC NCR and SPCC Cebu Staff members to efficiently and effectively handle the women and children protection program in their geographical area of responsibility by way of synchronizing the staff development training.

Beneficiaries: Primary Beneficiaries are children in need of special protection.

Secondary Beneficiaries are families involved in the care and protection of children, Parish pastoral council, social services development ministry members, diocesan/archdiocesan social action ministry, archdioceses of Manila and Cebu, diocese of Novaliches and parishes, Barangay council for the protection of children of the local government units, NGOs, Civil society organizations, sisters and staff

The cost is 34.000 euros.

Every contribution helps!