Philippines
Full country name: Republic of the Philippines
Area: 299,000 square kilometres
Population: 68 million (2.5% annual growth rate)
Capital city: Manila (population ten million)
People: Predominantly Malay descendants, Chinese and Muslim minorities, and a number of mestizos (Filipino-Spanish or Filipino-Americans)
Language: Tagalog and English, numerous indigenous languages, and some Spanish
Religion: 82% Roman Catholic, 9% Protestant, 5% Muslim, 3% Buddhist
Current Focus and Concerns
terre des hommes Germany currently supports 26 projects in the Philippines. Most of these projects are located in Mindanao and Negros islands, where great poverty and inequality affects the vast majority of the population, and government services are dismally inadequate. Armed conflict also continues to rage between government troops and Moro separatists on one hand, and communist insurgents on the other.
TDH-supported projects work on the protection and promotion of children's rights, such as the right to education and health services, as well as protection from commercial sexual abuse, prostitution, violence, and exploitative labour. Project services include early childhood care and development, health and psychosocial care, advocacy and lobbying, organising and training, local adoption and foster care, and theatre training and arts development.
The primary target group of TDH-supported projects are children in both rural and urban areas. But other projects currently supported include those which address issues confronting battered and sexually abused women, farm workers who are fighting to own the land they have tilled for ages, indigenous women's groups setting up co-operatives, and factory workers who are organising occupational health and safety committees.
Capacity building is given special emphasis to upgrade the abilities of partners, increase their effectiveness and efficiency, and broaden their resource base through networking and the sharing of resources.
Future Focuses and Priorities
In line with TDH policy directions set for the region, efforts will continue to support initiatives advancing children's rights, especially those for children in poor rural and urban areas, and those who toil under exploitative and hazardous conditions. This thrust implies that priority attention will be given to issues affecting child labourers, street children, and children in remote areas who are denied their basic rights to education and health services.
As armed conflict is likely to continue and even intensify in the immediate future, children exploited and traumatised by war deserve special care. Projects preventing children from being used and brutalised by war, and those which provide care to child victims of war, shall be encouraged and supported.
Greater efforts will also be exerted to link with and support projects promoting bio-diversity and ecological conservation. Considering the grave issues that the country is facing regarding ecological destruction and the aggressive promotion of corporate profit- orientated GMOs (genetically modified organisms), TDH is committed to supporting initiatives enhancing bio-diversity and the preservation of the ecosystem.
Gender mainstreaming and capacity building will be pursued both on the local and regional levels through skills training, orientation seminars, exposure and study visits, partner meetings, and the development and implementation of working groups' action plans.
Area: 299,000 square kilometres
Population: 68 million (2.5% annual growth rate)
Capital city: Manila (population ten million)
People: Predominantly Malay descendants, Chinese and Muslim minorities, and a number of mestizos (Filipino-Spanish or Filipino-Americans)
Language: Tagalog and English, numerous indigenous languages, and some Spanish
Religion: 82% Roman Catholic, 9% Protestant, 5% Muslim, 3% Buddhist
Current Focus and Concerns
terre des hommes Germany currently supports 26 projects in the Philippines. Most of these projects are located in Mindanao and Negros islands, where great poverty and inequality affects the vast majority of the population, and government services are dismally inadequate. Armed conflict also continues to rage between government troops and Moro separatists on one hand, and communist insurgents on the other.
TDH-supported projects work on the protection and promotion of children's rights, such as the right to education and health services, as well as protection from commercial sexual abuse, prostitution, violence, and exploitative labour. Project services include early childhood care and development, health and psychosocial care, advocacy and lobbying, organising and training, local adoption and foster care, and theatre training and arts development.
The primary target group of TDH-supported projects are children in both rural and urban areas. But other projects currently supported include those which address issues confronting battered and sexually abused women, farm workers who are fighting to own the land they have tilled for ages, indigenous women's groups setting up co-operatives, and factory workers who are organising occupational health and safety committees.
Capacity building is given special emphasis to upgrade the abilities of partners, increase their effectiveness and efficiency, and broaden their resource base through networking and the sharing of resources.
Future Focuses and Priorities
In line with TDH policy directions set for the region, efforts will continue to support initiatives advancing children's rights, especially those for children in poor rural and urban areas, and those who toil under exploitative and hazardous conditions. This thrust implies that priority attention will be given to issues affecting child labourers, street children, and children in remote areas who are denied their basic rights to education and health services.
As armed conflict is likely to continue and even intensify in the immediate future, children exploited and traumatised by war deserve special care. Projects preventing children from being used and brutalised by war, and those which provide care to child victims of war, shall be encouraged and supported.
Greater efforts will also be exerted to link with and support projects promoting bio-diversity and ecological conservation. Considering the grave issues that the country is facing regarding ecological destruction and the aggressive promotion of corporate profit- orientated GMOs (genetically modified organisms), TDH is committed to supporting initiatives enhancing bio-diversity and the preservation of the ecosystem.
Gender mainstreaming and capacity building will be pursued both on the local and regional levels through skills training, orientation seminars, exposure and study visits, partner meetings, and the development and implementation of working groups' action plans.