Bayanihan’s “voorlichters training” and the  information days/workshops on “Break the Silence” ( Bespreekbaar maken, bewustwording en Preventie van huiselijk geweld)  in Rotterdam

By: Diana Oosterbeek-Latoza
Coordinator/social cultural worker
Stichting Bayanihan
Centrum voor Filippijnse Vrouwen in Nederland

The “voorlichter’s training”

Bayanihan held a weekend voorlichter’s training on domestic violence last April 26 & 27 in Hostel Stayokay in The Hague. This voorlichters’ training is part of Bayanihan’s project “Stop! Alle vormen van geweld tegen Filippijnse Vrouwen, a project which is subsidized by JOS, Gemeente Rotterdam. Eight Bayanihan women were selected to follow the training.

The objective of this training is to train voorlichters to give information to other Filipina kababayans on the awareness about domestic violence, specifically the patterns and prevention of domestic violence. The training sessions were devoted to understanding domestic violence and also to the skills in giving information to a group. After this training the voorlichters are ready to give information on huiselijk geweld as Bayanihan voorlichters to their own Filipina friends/ groups in the Rotterdam area in the period from July to October this year. The trainer for this weekend was Maya Butalid, assisted by Diana Oosterbeek-Latoza, Bayanihan’s coordinator/social cultural worker. Maya Butalid has been Bayanihan’s trainer since 1993. She is now the coordinator, Integratie & Inburgering, Vluchteling Werk Midden Brabant. She is also a psychologist by profession specializing in Child, Youth & Cross-cultural Psychology. Diana has been trained as a voorlichter on the awareness & prevention of domestic violence by Tiye International, a platform for migrant women organisations in the Netherlands and has Aggression and Domestic Violence as her minor in her studies Culturele en Maatschappelijke Vorming (CMV) in Instituut voor Social Work/ De Horst in Amersfoort.

The trainees in action.

The voorlichters of Bayanihan in action - Theme: Informatiedag/Workshop on

 “ Break the Silence” ( Bespreekbaar maken Bewustwording en Preventie van Huiselijk Geweld)

After the weekend training last April the Bayanihan voorlichters divided themselves into three groups and named themselves as Daisy, Sampaguita and Dahlia groups. The Daisy group gave the “voorlichting” already last July 12 & 19; the Sampaguita group will give on September 13 & 14 and the Dahlia group on October 4 & 11. The objective of this information/workshop session is to break the taboo on domestic violence, to be aware what it is all about, let the women know that domestic violence is not normal and that she is not the only one who has landed in this situation. Information helps and encourages women to talk about domestic violence and gets her out of the isolation.

The “voorlichters” for July were Cora Alarcon, Genibe Molabin & Rose Slotema; for September: Rose Slotema, Lein Balaoing, Karen Juarez and Jaclyn Misagal and for October: Ching Lansang, Cora Alarcon and Tess de Man. These Bayanihan “voorlichters” have been trained to conduct an information/workshop session with their “kababayans” on the above topic through creative forms like drawing & composing collages and discussion sessions. These information sessions also focused on empowerment of women.

The participants busy expressing their ideas of domestic violence
through collage

These series of information/workshops on domestic violence is Bayanihan Rotterdam’s project with the title Stop! Alle vormen van geweld tegen Filippijnse vrouwen! Sponsored bij Jeugd, Onderwijs en Samenleving (JOS), Gemeente Rotterdam. In the last week of November (the UN has declared November 25 as the International Day for banishing violence against women). In this connection Bayanihan will organize a closing gathering for all voorlichters and participants of the project as culmination her project in Rotterdam.

These July sessions were held in Dona Dario, Centrum voor Vrouwen en Emancipate in Rotterdam. The participants during these gatherings were participative & open. They expressed their opinions/experiences of domestic violence on a shirt using words, symbols & drawings. After finishing doing this creative activity there was a dialogue to define domestic violence. They were able to talk about their experiences about domestic violence because they felt safe. So the trust was built up and they shared their pains and hopes. The taboo was broken for them!

The participants and the voorlichters of the infoday/workshop
“Break the Silence” wearing the T-shirts with their “creative shirts”

The participants and voorlichters

The Bayanihan voorlichters. Fr. Left to right
Lein Asraei-Balaoing, Maya Butalid ( trainer), Rose Slotema-Haboc,
Tess de Man-Selibio, Ching Lansang, Cora van Campebnhout-Alarcon,
Jaclyn Misagal, Karen Schiet-Juarez & Genibe Molabin

Announcement

To Filipinas living in Rotterdam and the nearby areas:

Information sessions:

September 13 & 20 (Saturday) from 13.30 – 17.30 – Location: Dona Daria, Centrum voor Vrouwen en Emancipatie, Rotterdam

October 4 & 11 (Saturday) from 13.30 – 17.30 – Location: Spijkenisse

November 29 – (Saturday) –Culmination Rotterdam Project- 13.30 -17.30- Location: Dona Daria

If you are interested to join these information sessions pls. call Stiching Bayanihan c/o:

Cora van Campenhout – Alarcon – 06 260 585 39
Lein Asraei-Balaoing – 06 410 030 85
Rose Slotema – Haboc - 06 153 072 00