Empowerment and Protection of Women and Children in the Philippines with Development Action for Women Network (DAWN)

For the 114th Global Voyage, Peace Boat’s first voyage in three years due to the global pandemic, it was very fitting that the first port of call should be the Philippines, a country with which Peace Boat has a long history. It was even more fitting that the first in port study programme should be to Development Action for Women Network (DAWN), with whom Peace Boat began a long and dear partnership over 25 years ago. 

DAWN welcomes Peace Boat to the Phillppines (Photo: DAWN)

Participants on the programme received a very warm welcome from DAWN as the ship arrived at the port of Manila.  The first part of the programme took place at the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP) in central Manila which has recently began a partnership with DAWN.  Peace Boat was welcomed by the University President and senior officials at the university and Peace Boat Executive Committee Member, Nohira Shinsaku gave an introduction to Peace Boat’s work. DAWN Executive Director Carmelita “Mel” Nuqui has joined Peace Boat's voyages on multiple occasions, visited Peace Boat in Japan, as well as organized many study programmes for Peace Boat participants. She warmly greeted the Peace Boat group and explained about the history and work of DAWN. 

Peace Boat, DAWN and TUP staff at the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP)

Since 1996, The Development Action for Women Network (DAWN) has been working for the empowerment and protection of women and children. The non-government, non-profit organization was established to assist distressed women migrants from Japan, as well as their Japanese-Filipino children, in the promotion and protection of their rights and welfare.  The Philippines commenced sending Overseas Performing Artists (OPAs) abroad during the 1970s, of whom approximately 98% went to Japan. Of these OPAs in Japan, 95% were women, with the vast majority of the broader migrant workforce represented by men until the 1980s. Aware that women entertainers, particularly those working in Japan, were more vulnerable to exploitation due to the nature of their work, a group of concerned individuals established DAWN to in order to address the growing number and concerns of, distressed Filipina migrants from Japan as well as the growing number of Japanese-Filipino Children (JFC) abandoned by their Japanese fathers. DAWN’s inaugural aim was: to protect and promote the rights and welfare of Filipina migrants and their JFC; to help them regain and enhance, their sense of dignity and self-worth in the process of their reintegration into their families and the larger Philippine society.  DAWN now continues working towards these aims and has evolved and expanded to advocate for the rights and welfare of Filipina migrants returning from other Asian and Middle Eastern countries.

DAWN Executive Director Carmelita “Mel” Nuqui, is a long-time friend and partner of Peace Boat. (Photo: DAWN)

Ice-breaking activities

After ice-breaking activities for the programme participants to get know each other, the day’s programme continued with a theatre workshop through which Peace Boat participants got to experience first-hand one of DAWN’s key advocacy projects. Teatro Akebono is DAWN’s theater group of women and Japanese-Filipino children and has been one of the organization’s advocacy projects since 1997. Through the group’s theatrical presentation, women and children are able to express themselves, regain their self-confidence, and hone their acting and singing skills as part of their reintegration process. Most importantly, they are given the chance to share with the local and international audiences the social issues affecting them through which they are able to also advocate the rights they rightfully deserve. Peace Boat participants and women involved in DAWN activities took part in the theatre workshop together and each of the groups followed presented of their output. 

One group's presentation after the Teatro Akebono workshop

In the afternoon, Peace Boat participants visited the DAWN Training Centre newly set up at TUP.  Providing women with training and alternative sources of income and livelihood is key to DAWN’s work to empower women and enhance their dignity and self-worth, as well as ensuring their re-itegration into society. Participants were able to see first hand another key project of DAWN, Sikhay, short for the Filipino phrase "Sikap Buhay," meaning "self-empowerment". Sikhay started as a sewing project in 1996 under DAWN’s Alternative Livelihood Program. It began in a small room in the DAWN office, with only two borrowed sewing machines. Today, Sikhay has high-speed sewing machines, an edging machine, button-holers, cutter, weaving machines and its own production room. Trainings are conducted at DAWN’s Sikhay Sewing and Hand-loom Weaving Facility as well as other locations in Manila.  Sikhay members acquire the skills needed to produce quality products as well as other transferable skills. Sikhay products are then marketed and sold in various local bazaars and in Japan. The participants of the study programme had the opportunity to buy the beautiful handmade Sikhy products which are also sold in Peace Boat Centers in Japan and onboard Peace Boat’s ship as part of the long term partnership between Peace Boat and DAWN. 

DAWN representatives teach Peace Boat participants some of the skils of Sikhay (Photos: DAWN)

The programme concluded with a session at the DAWN office facilitated by Ms. Crezol Mar Navarro, Social Services Program Coordinator of DAWN for participants to reflect on the days activities and share their thoughts about their experiences and what they had learned during the programme. The day was not a chance for participants to learn about the vital work of one of Development Action for Women Network, as well as the situation for women Filipina migrants returning from Japan, a little discussed aspect of the relationship between Japan and the Philippines. It was also a chance for Peace Boat to reaffirm its long and fruitful partnership with DAWN.