WE often hear stories of women’s oppression and victimization. Now, it is time to listen to urban poor women’s success over life’s adversities caused by their gender roles and poverty. These women are claiming power over their lives.
The book “WRAAPing Up: Community Women’s Journeys to Empowerment Through Gender Responsive Barangay Development Planning” tells the stories of these urban poor women in their own words.
The narratives in the book depict the experiences of women who transformed their lives and became community leaders by engaging in the Women’s Rights Action Advocacy Project (WRAAP) of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP). This project was implemented by the Samahan ng Mamamayan-Zone One Tondo Organization (SM-ZOTO). Funding was provided by Global Affairs Canada.
These empowered individuals include a former prostituted woman who learned about gender responsiveness and is now a leader of the Community Women’s Collective (CWC); a former drug dealer who became aware of her human rights and now conducts advocacy and training on women’s rights; and others in urban poor communities of Navotas, Malabon and Manila.
These women are now leaders in their CWCs, where they studied gender equality and women’s empowerment, and international and Philippine laws relevant to women. They applied this knowledge to create their Women’s Agenda which they presented to Barangay Development Councils, thus contributing to the drafting of Gender Responsive Barangay Development Plans.
CWC representatives are now part of the GAD Focal Point System of Malabon and Navotas. They are closer to participating in the decision-making process for Gender and Development (GAD) projects in their cities. They are active in mobilizations for local and national issues, and there is a big potential for them to influence decisions at the national level.
The book also provides guidelines learned from the steps the women are taking towards empowerment.
SM-ZOTO is an urban poor federation composed of 646 community-based organizations in 28 transition communities and relocation sites in Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Manila and nearby provinces of Cavite, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Pampanga.
The organization envisions a community of economically and politically empowered citizens who are accorded their due dignity, who foster gender equality and democracy, in a child- and youth- friendly, healthy and bountiful environment.
The organization, said to be the oldest urban poor federation in the country today, will celebrate its 55th anniversary on October 20.
Those who are interested to have a copy of the book may contact Rodelio “Butch” Ablir, SM-ZOTO executive director sm zoto@yahoo.com at 09178470122/ 82850254
