IPA Engagement in the 2030 Transformative Agenda: Co- visioning, Co- learning and Co- creating the Future we want with people’s participation
Description
The program was aimed at capacity building to address issues of eradication of poverty and hunger, lack of access to education, people’s inability to enjoy their human dignity and rights, lack of access to health and sanitation services and empowering Indigenous People in the light of the 2030 Agenda and the sustainable development Goals.<br />
Generally, most if not all the people in the communities served are under employed or unemployed, landless. Very few had access to formal education. Two or three in a family of twenty-four finished elementary and secondary level. People do not own the land they work on and live (including Iindigenous Peoples) under threat of ejection and death. In town centres they are casually employed in the sugar cane plantations and sugar mill companies. SDGs were introduced as a programme in our various projects, be it in the town centres or remote rural and upland areas to address these systemic conditions. The implementation period is two years.
Following are the objectives:<br />
1. To build the capacity of a specific number of animators both at the community and Institutional level to engage with their constituencies in understanding the relevance of the 2030 agenda and the Sustainable development goals in relation to their reality and work on SDG 4 and targets 1-7<br />
2. To help people assert their basic human dignity and human rights related to goal 8, for full productive employment and descent work for all. <br />
3. To raise awareness and act on Goal 5 targets 1 and 2 to prevent discrimination against women and girls and Goal 10 target 1 to progressively achieve and sustain income groups and reduce inequalities.<br />
4. To engage with local, sectoral and church organizations and government agencies for their claims to be heard and recognized (ancestral domain) related to goal 15, targets 1-3, the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater. Sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, degraded land and soil. <br />
5. To form cluster level teams to educate strategize, implement and monitor at the local level with people’s participation.<br />
6. To fully avail of government health and sanitation services. Related to Goals 3 and 6. To eensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. <br />
7. To preserve and promote traditional and alternative medicines to reduce their dependency on Western medicines. (Goal 3)<br />
8. To promote and enhance the indigenous knowledge, systems and practices in restoring bio-cultural diversity/organic farming which will help reduce the impacts of climate change and to restore and rebuild their identity as Indigenous Peoples through their living tradition and culture in relation to objective 3 and goal 4 targets 4-7 goal 15 targets 1-3.<br />
Meeting challenges and difficulties: <br />
Challenges were some people’s lack of perseverance, fear for their lives, financial and health problems and lack of government support and corruption at different levels <br />
These were responded to by <br />
A series of trainings, dialogues, non-formal education, small income generating projects, and with full-support of the SDG project staff and partner-organizations (Ccivil Ssociety Oorganizations, Non-government Oorganizations, private institutions), engaging with local government units and national government agencies.
Implementers and Partners: Presentation sisters, SDGs Team, cluster coordinators and community leaders with IPA, local and national government agencies, parishes, Edmund Rice Ministry, Christian Advocates for Justice and Development in Negros, Redemptorist Fathers, Broad Initiatives in Negros Development, National Federation of Sugar Workers, National Alliance of IPs, Confederation of Indigenous Peoples Organizations in Southern Negros Occidental, Non-Timber Forest Products-Extension Program.
Methods used are visits, surveys, meetings, dialogues, seminars, trainings, consultations, focus group discussions, interviews, observations reflections, exposure and follow up activities. Outcomes and results are validated through monitoring and assessment.
At the National level a team of people comprising of Presentation sisters, academics, activists grassroots community animators and Indigenous leaders from Western and Central Visayas met in Binalbagan Catholic Community College for a three days’ orientation and training on the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs and strategize. A central coordinating team was formed from this group. With a plan of action, the teams went back to their local areas and identified others who would network with them and formed local teams. With guidance from the central coordinating team each of the local teams did surveys to identify priority issues that were affecting the local communities and trained more community animators and leaders in these areas .There was consistent strategic planning, goal setting, formulation of objectives, programmes, activities and budgeting. Once the teams were ready local grassroots communities including the direct beneficiaries and local leaders were introduced to the SDGs
A series of trainings included inputs from expert resource persons from local, regional, national and international levels on Human Rights, Universal Periodic Review, Voluntary National Review, Magna Carta of Persons with Disabilities, International Humanitarian Law, Foot and Body Massage and Reflexology.
Some of the activities that followed are:
Exposure to Liptong Woodlands and Peace Pond and personal retreat focusing on Care for the Earth to create awareness on Sustainable Community Based Health Care and Environmental Awareness.
Formation of a Youth Theatrical Forum by a group of youth from the cities’ slums.
IP Youth Leadership training and celebration of National and International IP Days.
Women’s Orientation Seminar and lectures on paediatric care.
Massage and Acupuncture therapy training by Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
Training of Senior High School students from three private and one public school on paintings and making of musical instruments from indigenous and recycled materials.
Agriculture seminars on proper care of seedlings, appropriate technique of transferring seedlings to the field, and appropriate measure of soil and vermicast. Training sessions on how to prepare vermi culture were conducted for the staff and beneficiaries. On the last day of training, local government Agriculturist was invited to give an input on mangrove planting and on the same day they planted more than 1,000 mangrove seedlings. Regular visits and monitoring of all clusters was done to ensure that the programmes and projects were implemented.
Clusters support each other by inviting one another and directly participating in all activities related to SDGs. Regular monthly meetings and submission of financial reports by clusters were done.
Increased the number of organized IP communities from 42 to 54 community based Indigenous Ppeoples Oorganizations
Localized SDGs by engaging Llocal Ggovernment Unit of Binalbagan to support IP projects and activities, passed resolutions recognizing, promoting and respecting IP rights, and executive order creating IP support team.
Dialogued with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Mosser Environment Corporation (logging company) and Local Government Units regarding commercial forest planting versus native trees, dialogued with Department of Labour and Employment, Department of Agrarian Reform, gained support from church’s social action centres.
Partially availed of feeding programs and toilet facilities from the government while some SDG implementers made up for what was lacking through provisions of small tools for sanitation and farming, provided small income generating projects (charcoal briquette making, herbal processing, weaving/IP crafts and products, and animal dispersal and so forth,etc.)
45% of 9,000 IP women and youth availed on-going support from Non-Timber Forest Products- Extension Program
3 clusters are continuing herbal medicine processing
2 clusters are only beginning on herbal processing
75 men and women were trained on Homeopathy, naturopathy, reflexology, foot and body massage
14 IPs are developing their farm/home lots lands into bio-culturally diverse areas
1 hectare is being introduced into developing native seeds by Diversified Integrated Farming System, and furthering the application of vermi-culture
25 pre-schoolers, 6 secondary level and 3 tertiary level students are availing of quality education as a result of SDGs orientation.
The empowerment of people and capacity building assures that the program is sustainable. Binalbagan Municipality has adopted the concept of bio-cultural diversity in its forest land use plan. Animal dispersal as a form of Income Generating Projects is adopted by other communities. Those who participated in the training are giving training to other interested people.
Openness of the people to participate, availability and sincerity of skilled resource persons to share their knowledge, the generosity of some institutions/persons to share their financial resources and the IPA-Hilton SDG project funding and capacity building.
Constraints:
People’s inability to follow through their learning due to continuous daily struggle for living, indifference of some Llocal government Units and Non-Governmental Organizations to our beneficiaries, prejudices, influence of the rich and the powerful and commercialisation of education.
The constraints are not yet overcome but lobbying and awareness raising with students, professionals and the beneficiaries on the situations are on-going along with cconversations and consultations with persons in authority, submitting letters of petition, seeking legal assistance, reaching out to church for presence and spiritual support, Networking with likeminded Civil Society Organizations, bonding the stakeholders together in their common pursuit in realization of SDGs through constant calls and reminders providing incentives.
Innovations:
Use of vermi-casting which now is recognized by farmers and local government units as organic.
Biomass charcoal briquette as substitute for wood charcoal.
Promoting rainforest, growing seedlings individually rather than as mass.
Water conservation on the ground during heavy rains.
School of Living traditions to promotes IP living culture and traditions.
Mobile theatre arts as advocacy group to raise awareness.
Ritualising Indigenous practices of planting, growing and harvesting to preserve indigenous knowledge and practices.
Protecting and promoting the natural sources of water and soil fertility (interconnectedness of all creation).
Establishing demonstration sites/areas for learning and replication on their own farm lots.
Training and capitalization of existing small Income Generating Projects.
Continuing to develop the skills of SDGs participants.
Enhancing the innate capacities and skills of the community leaders.
Willing and competent of leaders who are eager to promote SDGs awareness.
Integrating SDGs projects into existing programs by the participants.
Emphasizing and raising awareness of people’s entitlements from the various government departments.
Tasking the justice commission by the Presentation Sisters leadership team to keep abreast with the progress of the implementation of the SDGs nationwide and the health committee to continue the advocacy and lobbying.
Assisting people’s organizations to be strengthened as pillars of sustainability.
Considering the target of SDGs is fifteen years and our project has been active only two years, the result though minimal is indicative of the potential of SDGs to reach grassroots communities and transform their realities. The number of clusters working on SDGs expanded and spread out to several indirect beneficiaries and drew the attention of many local government units and other sectors. Once the training sessions were done in grassroots communities they were replicated in many local groups. One example is the establishing of local health program that assists the members of the community. The group of mothers and the elders were organized in order to ensure the sustainability of the thrust. The Indigenous people’s school of living traditions and practices is something that could be adopted in the formal education system.<br />
In the programme of literacy and numeracy government support is vital in order to be effective and reach the neglected portion of the citizenry as validated in the work of one of our partners. <br />
Innovation in Agriculture includes rain water harvesting for managing floods and facilitating agriculture during drought season. Agriculture is introduced as an education activity by allocating a plot of land to the students to cultivate using vermi culture and develop the vision of an ecological center. They also support themselves from the produce of the land. Currently this plot is planted with different varieties using vermicast fertilizer to enrich the hydrogen element of the soil. In fact, working students are already harvesting peanuts and mangoes and selling them in the market. <br />
Mobile theatrical forum of the children from the slum as a means of raising awareness is something new and replicable. Children and youth are made agents of child-youth advocacy as a result of SDGs trainings. Schools are involved in promoting child’s rights advocacy in the community. <br />
Looking at the two years of our engagement, we realize that no matter how difficult, results can be achieved with available human and financial resources and committed people. The inter-connectedness of peoples and nations pursuing the common vision and dream is a major channel to achieve justice, peace and development. The rights holders should always continue knocking at the door of the duty bearers to remind them of their obligations and promises to the people. Many of the programmes and projects of the past were inclined towards charity and now it is drawn towards justice stressing the two-foot approach. It is believed that all these efforts will contribute to the restoration of the inter-connectedness of all creation and minimize the destructive effect of climate change.
By Pablito C. Gonzales - http://internationalpresentationassociation.org/un-connections/ipa-reps…
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