“Ngano? Kay bata lang mi, bisag unsaon na lang? Why? Just because we’re children, we can be treated like crap?”(FGD with children, July 2004) Preyed on by media and public opinion, adolescent girls on the streets were likened to the quail (“buntog” in Visayan, a bird that hops from nest to nest), portraying them to be promiscuously engaging in sex for free or sex for fun. Additionally, the buntog label equated the girls with prostitution. Amidst the hype, buntogs were considered a menace to good society, both as a possible health risk (as STD and HIV carriers) and a moral plague […]
“We would rather strengthen their actual survival skills in the street rather than blame them for being in the streets in the first place. – Ruth Lehmann (one of the founders of Tambayan), 1997 Banking on several years of experience on Children’s work, and six months of months of conceptualization, consultation, and research by three founding women – Sister Cecilia Fonacier, Ruth Lehmann and Edith Ong Ante Casiple, Tambayan was established in February 6,1996 amidst the backdrop of the so-called ‘buntog phenomenon’ among street children in Davao City. It was established as a program to respond to the needs and issues of the […]
The Drop-in Center provided most-needed amenities that were not available on the streets – a place to rest, bathe and eat. Street work complemented activities and services at the Center, which soon included therapy and counseling, and alternative education. Through information dissemination on the streets where the girls are, pioneering staff introduced the Drop-in Center where children are welcome as they are. Initially, the girls went to the center for the free food and water, but what eventually sustained their visits were the other services that Tambayan provided. By hanging-out at Tambayan, street girls were able to talk to responsive adults about […]
A significant organizational learning early on was that interventions where the scope of action is only on the streets was limited. That specific projects directed at the adolescent street girls are inadequate if there is no change in their social environment. Consequently, capacity building will only work with the participation of the broader community. With the boys Taking off from the analysis that the girls’ only support structure in the streets is the male-dominated street gangs, Tambayan started including the boys in awareness raising activities. Also, it was clear that male peers on the streets themselves perpetuate abusive relations and […]
Working with the children has also led us to work with their families since trooping the streets are often a result of deep rooted issues within the homes they live in which are oftentimes in the form of neglect, violence, and abuse perpetuated by family members. It is in this context that working with the children go hand in hand with working with their families as well. The families have also been victims of a system that promotes a culture of violence, poverty, and injustice to prevail. With this, working with the families entail to promote a healthy relationship with the child oftentimes with […]
The problem of abused girls in the streets is a social indicator of the kind of society we live in, since it mirrors complex societal issues such as government neglect, prevailing patriarchy, and inadequate social support system.Tambayan further posits that, society has to acknowledge and address the problems of abused girls in the streets in the broader context of pervasive non-recognition of children’s rights brought about by traditional concept of children, the government’s non-priority of children’s welfare and a culture of violence, and the breakdown of family systems which is a result of changing family roles, social vices and gender inequality.
1996 – 1997 *>General framework of simply making life easier for adolescent girls on the streets * >Clear framework of intervention is child rights, no moralizing * > Street organizing and drop-in center as initial programs * >Other programs evolved as the need was realized (as identified by both girls and staff, based on girls’ disclosures) – therapy, education, health services, legal support *>In terms of management, evolved a participatory/ collective work style 1998 –1999 * >Street gangs as entry-point for organizing * >Inclusion of male peers in gangs in activities *>Identification and development of peer facilitators *>Conduct of participatory […]
Based on the analysis that children are pushed to the streets by experiences of abuse and violence in their homes, Tambayan considers healing, in its many forms, the core in its organizing efforts. Facilitating healing can take the form of individual therapy, group processing, or simply access to space and/ or an understanding adult to talk to. For Tambayan, the process of healing can be on an individual basis or collective. While children on the streets have proven that they indeed have the ‘skill’ to take action – even take matters into their own hands, so to speak – a […]
The institutionalization of Tambayan’s Child Protection Policy is one direct outcome of its process of adopting Child Rights Programming. Translating child rights practice into organizational and work policies are complemented by the organization’s culture of collective discussion, its mechanisms for clear accountabilities, as well as its commitment to pursue meaningful children’s participation. Admittedly, the staff recognizes the difficulties that come with child rights work, for instance on issues regarding the best interest of the child and facilitating meaningful participation, as well as going against entrenched belief-systems on childhood. However, having discussed and agreeing on clear guidelines (although some have yet […]