Philippine Children’s Ministries Network

1997-1999

In January 1997, the 1st International Consultation on Children at Risk was organized by the Oxford Center for Mission Studies and Viva Network. Pine Gutierrez, then with Alay Pag-asa Christian Foundation, attended as the lone delegate from the Philippines. She was a member of the committee led by Dr. Dan Brewster of Compassion International that drafted the Oxford Statement on Children at Risk. She met Patrick McDonald, the international director of Viva Network. In May of the following year, Pine attended the 1st International Cutting Edge Conference held in Battle, UK. She facilitated the workshop on Street Children. On her return, she met with Bishop Ef Tendero of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) to give feedback on the conference. He in turn convened a half-day meeting attended by several leaders of leading children’s ministries. In that meeting, those present agreed to hold a consultation on children at risk. The working committee composed of representatives of World Vision, Compassion, Christian Growth Ministries, Share An Opportunity, AMG, Action International and Pine (who was then resigned from Alay Pag-asa) was formed to handle the preparations for a 3-day consultation.

In August of the same year, the Bangkok Consultation on Children at Risk was organized by Viva Network. Several participants from the Philippines attended: Arnel Carreon (Christian Compassion Ministries), Menchit Wong (Compassion), Jeff Anderson/Aries Reginio/Luv Zacal (Action), Gundelina Velasco (Viva Network) and Pine Gutierrez.

With the theme “THE CHURCH AND THE CHILDREN AT RISK: A CALL TO CARE THE WAY CHRIST CARED” the 3-day consultation in the Philippines was held in November. The 73 participants from 39 churches, mission agencies and service organizations discussed current children’s issues and concerns and the state of Christian ministries. The participants produced a statement that included a plan of action, the most notable of which was the formation of the Philippine Children’s Ministries Network.

The PCMN Coordinating Committee was organized with heads or senior staff of Compassion Int’l Phils, Christian Growth Ministries, World Vision Development Foundation, Share An Opportunity, Action Int’l Phils., Kanlungan sa Erma, Scandinavian Children’s Mission, Ang Mananampalatayang Gumagawa (AMG), Jireh Children’s Home, Servants, The Salvation Army, Urban Street Ministries Inc. comprising it. Its main task is to determine the network’s direction and ensure its development. Bishop Ef Tendero served as its chairman. The group designated Pine Gutierrez as coordinator.

Viva Network helped equip Pine Gutierrez for her role. She went to the Oxford office for exposure and orientation on networking. Her attendance of an 8-day course on Partnership Development by Interdev was arranged. In the 2nd International Cutting Edge Conference in UK that took place in September, Pine Gutierrez came as a member of the program committee and workshop leader on “Care for the Care-givers.”

In 1999 PCMN conducted a 3-day Children’s Conference with the theme “Sali Kami:” Children as Partners in Development in June with 60+ children representing 16 member-organizations. This was followed by a Workers’ Retreat in Caliraya Re-creation Center with staff of various organizations joining. The retreat since then has become a yearly event and easily the most popular activity among the members. Towards the end of 1999, the network co-hosted with Philippine Missions Association a group of 11 pastors from South Africa and facilitated their exposure in children’s ministries in Metro Manila, Olongapo/Zambales, Angeles, Cebu and Davao.

2000-2004

The 1st National Conference on Children at Risk held in March 2000 in Tagaytay City was well-attended by participants from various areas of the country. After the conference, Peter Nitschke (Servants) led the monthly fellowship of Quezon City-based participants. The group that evolved to become the Quezon City Cluster chose Child Domestic Labor as their issue. They facilitated the research project on the “Incidence and Situation of Child Domestic Workers in Quezon City” with funding from World Vision and UNICEF. Project Rhoda, a network project, is an outcome of the first conference.

Training of staff from several members was conducted in partnership with Pavement Project and Youth Partnership International. Children of Metro Manila-based members had a Sports Day with MV Doulos crew and staff. Cook Communications Ministries (USA) shipped 48,000 copies of Picture New Testament that were distributed to 52 organizations and churches. Binia Scherrer of Viva Network came in June 2000 for volunteer work and stayed on until April 2002. In January 2001, 22 members from 18 organizations came together for a strategic planning meeting. PCMN’s vision-mission-goal statements and strategic directions were formulated.

To identify and bring together stakeholders who are based in the Visayas and Mindanao, a Consultation on Children at Risk was held in February 2002 in Cebu City in partnership with the Cebu-based Christian Children’s Network (CCN). 219 people turned up from 139 organizations and churches, way beyond the target. The present prime movers of the networks in Davao, Gensan, Bacolod caught the vision for networking in this consultation.

The Worldwide Day of Prayer for Children at Risk on the first Saturday of June was organized as a network-wide event with a prayer rally held in Quezon City Memorial Circle. 500 children and adults from 32 organizations and churches came. It has become an annual event since 2001. Other groups outside Metro Manila have organized similar prayer activities.

A one year Child Participation project that provided leadership training to 38 children from 15 organizations was piloted. The children participated in 4 training seminars and workshops during the period. A 3-day Children’s Summit in May 2003 was the project’s culminating activity. It was facilitated by the child-leaders with the working group giving some adult support. The children formulated a Statement addressed to church leaders.

Other activities facilitated and coordinated were:

• Paralegal Training in partnership with IJM. The training provided the venue for the reporting of an incident of abuse in an organization. The abuser was apprehended and the children were rescued. (2002)
• HIV-AIDS training workshop with Precious Jewels Ministry, The Salvation Army, Kanlungan sa Erma, Bethany Children’s Trust (2002, 2003)
• Creative Arts training workshop in partnership with Themba Facilitate from UK (2002,2003)
• Instructional Managers’ training workshop in partnership with Dep-Ed Bureau of Alternative Learning System (2003). This has become an annual event benefiting a significant number of organizations and churches that have sent participants.

The 3rd International Cutting Edge Conference held in The Netherlands in October 2002 drew participation of a significant number of PCMN leaders. Bishop Ef Tendero led the devotions in the conference. In February 2004, the 1st Asia Cutting Edge Conference was held in Malaysia. Several PCMN leaders served as resource persons in tracks and workshops, program committee members and in drafting the conference statement.

The 2nd National Conference with the theme, “Rediscovering Together God’s Heart for Children” was held in September 2003 in Tagaytay City. Dr. Keith White from UK was main speaker for the duration of the event. In the following year, consultation on children at risk was held in Davao City for Mindanao Christian leaders and in Dumaguete City for Visayas Christian leaders.

In June 2004, Project Rhoda, a collaborative response to child domestic labor issue was launched. Three local churches participated – Alliance Fellowship Church, Diliman Bible Church and Kamuning Bible Christian Fellowship-Operation Paglingap. The project was funded by Tear Nederland.

2005-2008

In response to a massive mudslide that resulted in deaths and destruction of properties in Real, Infanta and Gen. Nakar towns in Quezon province, nine member-organizations distributed relief goods to 500 families in early 2005. In May of the same year, 1,083 children were recipient of school supplies and materials. The activity was carried out in cooperation with the Northern Quezon Ministerial Association.

The drive to engage local churches outside Metro Manila to get involved in responding to children’s issues and concerns intensified. The Luzon Consultation on Children at Risk was held in Mandaluyong City. Consultative meetings with pastors and church workers in General Santos City, Davao City, Northern and Western Samar were likewise held. Workshop on Child Participation helped raised awareness on participation rights of children. Tangos United Methodist Church in Navotas integrated child participation in its ministry was one of the outcomes. A consultation on Child Trafficking was held for Manila-based Christian organizations with residential programs. Forum on HIV-AIDS Prevention was held in Quezon City, Zambales, Pasay City and Davao.

With churches and organizations catching the vision for working together for children at risk, PCMN facilitated a variety of training activities to different groups for the purpose of equipping and building capacities.

• “Integral Mission and the Role of the Church” in Eastern, Northern, Western Samar provinces, Manila, Iloilo City, Davao City, Ligao City
• “Understanding God’s Heart for Children” in Caliraya, Quezon City, Bacolod, Polomolok, Butuan, Ligao and for AMG and IJM staff and partners respectively
• Network Facilitators’ Training in Cebu City for networkers from several local networks, in Davao City for the Mindanao group and in Boracay, Caticlan for the Central & Western Visayas group, in Tacloban City for the Samar networkers
• Crisis Counselling and Stress Management and Debriefing for Capacity Building of Service Providers for the staff of Manila members
• Facilitators’ Training on Child Trafficking Prevention in Davao, Gensan, Calbayog, Allen, Borongan, Antique, Quezon City, Butuan and Cagayan de Oro
• Facilitators Training in HIV-AIDS Prevention was held in Luzon (Pranjetto Hills) and Mindanao (Gensan)
• Orientation on Child Sexual Abuse Prevention (CSAP) for Compassion Int’l Phils. national office staff and training on CSAP for AMG project partners’ leaders
• Facilitators Orientation on Life Skills for Children at Risk Module in Quezon City, Bacolod, Guimaras, Samar, Davao
• Orientation on Foster Family Care in Samar
• Orientation on Quality Improvement System for member-organizations and local networks leaders
• Writeshop on drafting Child Protection Policy for members and partners in Quezon City, Calbayog City, Bacolod, Iloilo, Davao, Gensan, Cagayan de Oro.
• “Celebrating Children,” an 8-module course.

Network Projects

• Project Rhoda (Child Domestic Labor) – from 3 churches there are now 11 churches in the collaboration reaching out to 200+ child domestic laborers. Implemented in partnership with Tear Nederland
• Holistic Multi-sectoral Response to Child Trafficking launched in Davao and Gensan with support from Tear Nederland. The project was also implemented in Samar in partnership with Tearfund UK.
• Holistic Multi-sectoral Response to Children at Risk with partners reaching children in especially difficult circumstances in partnership with Tear Nederland
  Church Mobilization Project, a collaboration with Compassion International Philippines and Viva Network. Conducted Pastors’ Conferences on the Church’s Integral Mission and God’s Heart for Children in Sorsogon, Masbate, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Butuan and Tubod, Lanao del Norte and Church Leadership Training for senior pastors and leaders of churches partnering with CI Philippines.

Other Activities/Involvement

• Participation in the HIV-AIDS Forum in Mandarin Hotel hosted by the Sweden Embassy with UNAIDS. A network member gave a presentation on the “Response of Faith-Based Groups to the HIV-AIDS Issue.”
• Participation in the 1st National Conference on Trafficking in Persons by the Inter-Agency Coalition Against Trafficking (IACAT). Served as a panelist in the panel discussion on “The Non-traditional Partners in the Prevention of Trafficking.”
• Participation in the Child Labor – Education for All sub-group
• Member of the 4-14 convenor group with AWANA Phils., Compassion Int’l Phils., World Vision that organizes the annual “The Child in God’s Eyes” Conference. The group’s membership has expanded to Include ERDA, NMA, SCM, TOPIC.
• Member of the technical working group of the Philippine Inter-Faith Network for Children (PHILINC).
• PCMN Impact Assessment Study with Viva Network and AcePOD was started
• A national partner of UNICEF since 2005 in capacity building activities that empower children, families and communities to protect themselves; enhance the skills and competencies in providing effective interventions of service providers; and strengthen networks and alliances for child protection
• PCMN Impact Assessment Project in partnership with Viva Network
• New partners in 2008:
  1. ADB-Staff Community Fund for the support of Project Rhoda children
  2. Visayan Forum on the Step-UP (Stop Trafficking and Exploitation of People through Unlimited Potential) Project
  3. Stairway Foundation in the piloting of Child Sexual Abuse Prevention