VZCZCXYZ0005
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHML #3795/01 3330450
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 290450Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY MANILA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9031

UNCLAS MANILA 003795 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MTS AND EAP/RSP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM EAID KWMN KPAO SOCI RP
SUBJECT: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FY 2007 EAP/RSP WOMEN'S ISSUES FUND 
SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM 
 
REF: STATE 136319 
 
¶1. In response to the FY 2007 EAP/RSP Women's Issues Fund proposal 
solicitation, Embassy Manila received ten grant proposals from 
Philippine non-governmental organizations (NGOs), aimed at promoting 
women's political participation and economic independence, and 
contributing to women's freedom from violence and trafficking. Our 
Mission reviewed the ten proposals and recommends four proposals 
from the following NGOS: Ing Makababaying Aksyon (IMA) Foundation; 
Women's Legal Education, Advocacy and Defense (WOMENLEAD) 
Foundation; Al-Mujadillah Development Foundation (AMDF); and 
Bangsamoro Women Foundation for Peace and Development, Inc. 
(BWFPDI). 
 
¶2. A summary of each proposal follows, listed in priority order. 
Embassy will send by email to EAP/RSP the complete project proposals 
per reftel guidance. Embassy point of contact is Political Officer 
Barry Fullerton (phone: 63-2-301-2583; e-mail: 
FullertonTB@state.gov). 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
Project 1: Ing Makababaying Aksyon (IMA) Foundation, Inc. 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶A. Name of applicant: Ing Makababaying Aksyon (IMA) Foundation, 
Inc. 
 
¶B. Project title: Community-Based Action against Trafficking and 
Violence Against Women (COMBAT-VAWC) 
 
¶C. Total amount requested: $24,400 
 
¶D. Project overview: The project aims to prevent trafficking in 
persons and violence against women and their children in Angeles 
City and in the Central Luzon region. IMA Foundation will conduct 
forums, community consultations and local campaigns, and publish 
information materials to raise the awareness of key community 
stakeholders on the prevention and elimination of trafficking and 
violence against women. It will support the formation of 
community-based women and children organizations or watchdogs 
against trafficking and violence against women in villages with high 
incidence of such cases. The project will also provide assistance to 
victims of trafficking and gender violence in the form of 
counseling, medical and legal services, temporary shelter, 
livelihood and education assistance, support group formation, case 
management, rescue, and referral. IMA foundation also seeks to 
broaden its support and improve its capability to fight trafficking 
through coalition partnerships, trainings, information exchange, and 
best practices sharing. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Project 2: WOMENLEAD Foundation, Inc. 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶A. Name of applicant: Women's Legal Education, Advocacy and Defense 
(WOMENLEAD) Foundation, Inc. 
 
¶B. Project title: Litigating Cases of Trafficking in Women and 
Girl-Children: Best practices, Issues and Recommendations 
 
¶C. Total amount requested: $25,000 
 
¶D. Project overview: The goal of the proposed project is trafficking 
prevention through programs that promote rehabilitation and 
reintegration of victims and survivors. The project has three 
components: (1) provision of direct legal services to trafficking 
survivors by WOMENLEAD staff lawyers and paralegals; (2) focused 
group discussions with private lawyers and paralegals (from 
WOMENLEAD and other network NGOs) to document their experiences in 
handling cases of trafficking and record best practices and lessons 
learned, and make recommendations for more effective legal 
intervention; and (3) sharing and presentation of results to other 
stakeholders. Through the project, WOMENLEAD hopes to continue 
rendering legal services to the 18 trafficking survivors it 
currently assists, help them in the healing process, and use their 
cases as case studies in its documentation of best practices. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
Project 3: Al-Mujadillah Development Foundation, Inc. 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶A. Name of applicant: Al-Mujadillah Development Foundation, Inc. 
(AMDF) 
 
¶B. Project title: Community-based Education Session on Women's 
Rights 
 
¶C. Total amount requested: $24,909 
 
¶D. Project overview:  The project aims to educate Bangsamoro 
(Filipino Muslim) women and men on laws to protect women's rights as 
 
a means of curbing violence against women. Previous studies 
conducted by the Al-Mujadillah Development Foundation show that 
Filipino Muslim women are marginalized, are subject to 
discrimination, and often suffer from domestic violence. The project 
targets the Muslim women and men in eight selected communities of 
the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). AMDF will identify 
and invite experts who will produce a community-based education 
module for culture-sensitive, responsive and faith-based education 
sessions on ending violence against women.  The organization will 
train community-based education session trainers and legal aid 
professionals on ending violence against women. These trainers will 
raise the awareness of the participants from the eight communities 
in ARMM on laws protecting women from violence. The participants 
will be encouraged to create a community-based response mechanism to 
end violence against women in their community. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
Project 4: Bangsamoro Women Foundation for Peace 
and Development, Inc. 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶A. Name of applicant: Bangsamoro Women Foundation for Peace and 
Development, Inc. 
 
¶B. Project title: Sustainable Economic Development for Bangsamoro 
Women 
 
¶C. Total amount requested: $25,000 
 
¶D. Project overview: The proposed project is an expansion of a 
previous EAP Women's Issues Fund project, "Women Empowerment through 
Sustainable Economic Development," implemented in 10 communities in 
central and western Mindanao. The project would establish similar 
sustainable livelihood programs in five communities in Tawi-Tawi 
province, aimed at developing the capabilities of women in the 
province to earn a living for their family and increase their 
self-esteem and self-sufficiency. Project activities include (1) 
organizing local Bangsamoro (Filipino Muslim) women's associations 
and cooperatives in five communities and facilitating the government 
registration of their associations; (2) capacity building of the 
Bangsamoro women's associations and cooperatives through training 
and technical assistance; (3) capacity building of the members of 
the associations through programs that assess the livelihood skills, 
opportunities and community resources and training that can help 
develop livelihood, financial management and marketing skills; and 
(4) provision of revolving seed capital to jumpstart livelihood 
projects for Bangsamoro women through a loan-grant mechanism. 
 
 
Visit Embassy Manila's Classified SIPRNET website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/manila/index. cfm 
 
You can also access this site through the State Department's 
Classified SIPRNET website: 
http:// www.state.sgov.gov/ 
 
KENNEY