Raising our Voices: Global Campaigning for SRHR

We thank you for your continued support to WGNRR's work these past few years. Through your contributions, we recently were able to reach our fundraising goal of USD5,000! Thank you very much! We are aiming for USD10,000 as we prepare for the 40th year of WGNRR's work in serving the marginalized communities.

The evolving pandemic continue to challenge us this year. But we persist. Here's the few highlights of the year:

1. Supported networks for abortion rights:

We continued our support to safe abortion networks and organizations locally and globally via online discussions and learning sessions. We organized learning sessions with medical students and professionals on abortion and the medical curriculum. We also did youth, reproductive justice and abortion series with our members and partners in Africa and Asia. We organized an international exchange between abortion rights activists and experts from Argentina, US, Poland, Thailand, South Korea, Honduras, Indonesia and the Philippines. And as the Secretariat and initiator of the Philippine Safe Abortion Advocacy Network (PINSAN), we provided technical and financial support to the network. and we are particularly proud of our collaboration with PINSAN when during the COVID-19 related hard lockdown in the Philippines, launched a proposed bill to decriminalize abortion in the Philippines. The decriminalization of abortion campaign in the Philippines has placed the country as one of the abortion rights hotspots for 2021, following the victory of the Green Wave campaign in Argentina. 

2. Enhanced organizational capacity:

In 2020, we finalized the 3-year strategic plans that embedded COVID-19 and emergency situation-related mitigation strategies. During the grant period, we were also able to appoint two new members of the board following a vacancy in the board membership. Implementation of the COVID mitigation plan that includes measures to ensure that staff is supported during the pandemic, such as flexible work arrangements, and that staff wellbeing is taken care of. In spite of the work from home arrangement, we were able to increase our capacity by recruiting five (5) new staff members to implement the various project commitments of the organization.

3. Sustained campaign actions in the midst of the pandemic:

We collaborated with other SRHR activists, feminists, and allies globally to creatively and innovatively continue our work and to respond to the crisis. We collaborated, led and organized communication campaigns during the May 28 International Day of Action for Women's Health, September 28 International Safe Abortion Day and 16-days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence. The campaign actions, while most done virtually, were joined by local, regional and international CSOs. 

4. Supported young people's initiatives:

We continued to support the leadership of young people to promote and advance SRHR for all, through Young Advocates for SRHR (YAS). We conducted a three-week SRHR Online Bootcamp from July to August among fifteen young people from different parts of the Philippines. The programme for the SRHR Online Bootcamp includes skills building on creative methods and combining this interest to learn and advocate for SRHR including talking about abortion. Most of the participants had no prior knowledge about SRHR but have demonstrated improved understanding of SRHR concepts and increased positive attitude towards SRHR.

We utilized arts-based Telling Truer Stories to demystify abortion and normalize public discussions of abortion and assert the need to decriminalize it in the country. The Telling Truer Stories Anthology (visual art, poetry, essays, music, film), which started in 2018, is an initiative that collects feminist narratives in various art forms. We engage artists and storytellers to collect their artworks for the purpose of destigmatizing, demystifying, and decriminalizing abortion in the Philippines.

During the #16Days of Activism, Young Advocates for SRHR (YAS!) and WGNRR present Young People in Quarantine to emphasize the role of young people in calling to #EndInequalityEndGBV and in claiming human rights and #SRHR4ALL! Young People in Quarantne (YPinQ) is a collection of photos, opinions, essays, short stories, posters, and creative placards that highlight the experiences, calls, and demands of young people on their health and rights during the pandemic. YPinQ also includes contributions from various organizations and advocates. Read the magazine at: bit.ly/ReadYPinQ

We produced a music album, Pasya, a collection original songs campaigning for the decriminalization of abortion in the Philippines produced by Filipino artists, songwriters, storytellers, and safe abortion advocates is the Filipino word for decision, or a choice one makes after thinking carefully. The album offers a safe space and representation of the storytellers (people with abortion experiences and who are willing to come forward with their stories) through song. And this year, Regla (Menstrual Blood) from the Pasya (Choice) Music Album is one of HipHopDX Asia 's 20 Best Songs of the year! It is a single made possible by a collaboration among Muro Ami, SHNTI, and Tao from the Pasya Music Album.
LISTEN here: https://pasya.decriminalizeabortion.ph/
Watch the music video: https://youtu.be/CQMrrfk4Ias

5. Responded to Urgent Actions:

We partnered with community-based and local NGOs to respond to the relief efforts for the affected communities of typhoon Odette (Rai), a Category 5 storm that swept through all three regions of the Philippines in December 16th. To date, 375 people have been killed, over 440,000 displaced, almost 150,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed, and there are around 5 billion Philippine pesos (132 million US dollars) in damages.  

 The annual report will soon be sent to all. Thank you and Happy Holidays!