Empower Filipino teenage girl survivors of abuse

11-year-old Christine (not her real name) takes great pride in being able to create wallets, bags, and dresses all by herself. “I am very happy and thrilled because I can already tell my mother and my aunt that I can sew these accessories,” she said.

Through funding and support from kind donors, Tahanan Sta. Luisa is able to run a sewing center social enterprise. The program aims to train the girls to create quality machine-sewn and hand-sewn items that will develop their sewing skills and creative talents, teach them a good work ethic, and enable them to earn income while learning. 

It takes a community to build the next generation of girl leaders, and many stepped up to help our girls gain the strength and confidence they need to lead productive lives. A fully functional sewing center was built. A skilled sewing teacher taught the girls to use industrial sewing machines and edging machines with safety precautions. Soon, the girls were sewing simple tote bags, coin purses, pouches, pot holders, headbands, table doilies, and pillow covers.

Visitors and volunteers who came to the center bought the items. Volunteer artist groups came around to give lessons on how to paint on fabric or to decorate with beads and buttons. The girls had loads of fun painting and decorating their bags. Donor partners also gave Tahanan opportunities to showcase the girls’ products during their events.

More than a social enterprise, the project is a personal development channel for the resident girls of Tahanan. It is a significant contributor to their overall education and healing. The program helps girls battle trauma from abuse. Through skills training, girls become self- sufficient individuals inside and outside the shelter. They found the importance of treasuring their own skills and improving them. 

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For many students, going to school is just a regular routine, and they sometimes see it as a chore. But for the girls of Tahanan Sta. Luisa, going to regular school opens a world of opportunities - as it helps them gain the confidence to adjust to a new environment and empowers them through learning.

2019 is only the second school year that Tahanan Sta. Luisa enabled the girls to go for formal regular schooling, when previously only an informal arrangement through home-based schooling under the government’s Alternative Learning System was offered. The move has produced dramatic and happy results for the girls, particularly in terms of their personality development.  

Going to regular schools helps girls heal from the trauma of childhood abuse by making them realize that it is not too late to fulfill their dreams of getting a good education. With counselling and confidence-building, a 21-year old beneficiary is not anymore scared to go back to elementary because of old age. Instead, she is making the most out of learning from leadership tasks assigned to her and talking to her schoolmates.

Some of the girls are also enrolled in a school’s Special Education Section. Through this endeavor, the girls gain the ability to overcome speech difficulties. By communicating with other school mates, the girls become more assertive, articulate, and confident. They learn the value of friendship and enjoy participating in school activities.

By going to regular schools, the girls of Tahanan Sta. Luisa are developing good study habits that allow them to excel and get good grades. More than academic achievements, they are able to be independent and productive on their own, while also learning how to work well with others and be mindful of their needs. Tahanan Sta. Luisa commits to continue empowering girls through education, supporting them in school and helping them become the hard working and kind students they aim to be. 

Links:

• Check out our new website