81 / 114
[
] 79
Image: Yukiko Ito, Asian Development Bank
Women volunteers from Bulusan, Sorsogon Province support the construction of their seawall subproject to protect the community from floods
“The importance of women extends beyond the home,”
she explained. “I feel empowered as a woman, being able to
contribute financially to support my family’s needs as well as
to serve my neighbours and others through the subproject.”
In Barangay Dapdap, Bulusan, Nena, a 47-year-old Kalipi
(women’s organization) member, vividly recalls how the male
workers on their seawall left the subproject site early one day in
November 2015. Only she and Elisa, another woman worker,
stayed until the expected heavy rains and strong south wind
made landfall later. With determination, courage and strong will,
they took advantage of the low tide and, equipped with shovels
and pails, worked until night-time. She feels good every time she
shares her story, her self-awareness and self-discovery evident
as she said, “Not only men can do this. I realize that we women
workers are just as able, and perhaps even more committed, to
completing challenging tasks such as what we experienced.”
Bella, a 54-year-old mother of six from Barangay San
Roque, Bulusan, simply wanted to earn a little more income
for the family. She worked as a nanny in Kuwait for six years
until she returned to the Philippines to take care of her own
four very young children at that time. Now a coconut farmer
and handicrafts maker, she helps augment the family income
whenever she can. Work opportunities that the subproject
presented, she said, provided monetary benefits and equal
chances for women and men in the community. More than
her labourer’s salary, she cherishes her husband’s pride in
her contribution to the evacuation centre, something the
community had long needed and dreamed of having. “My
husband didn’t believe I was serious in taking up that kind of
job,” she said. “But when he and our children finally saw me
working at the subproject site, they finally did, and would
always tell their friends that I helped build it. My husband
respects me even more these days. He now helps me in the
kitchen and cooks rice. This is how we show our kids –
some of them all grown up now – that a mother and a father
should help each other in raising the family.”
Statistics and stories from the field clearly paint this
picture: KC-NCDDP has contributed significantly to building
the confidence of women, enabling them to play an impor-
tant role in decision-making about community development,
especially in rural communities where women play a second-
ary role. Equipped with new skills, they can contribute to
the family coffer. They have peace of mind and feel secure
knowing that the subprojects they helped build are essential
for their families and the community. They have enhanced
their analytical, management, and decision-making and
leadership skills. Finally, they are starting to realize their
potential as human beings – certain that with proper train-
ing, skills, determination and government support, they can
lift themselves and their families out of poverty.
Several gender equity issues still remain unresolved, and
achieving gender equality is likely to be a long haul. Yet
KC-NCDDP, led by the Department of Social Welfare and
Development and supported by international organizations
such as ADB, has started the ripple that can only develop
into waves as it continues to empower more women, even-
tually promoting gender equality. Slowly but surely, the
multiple benefits and dividends of women’s effective partici-
pation and equal opportunities for leadership in CDD have
started to cascade.
G
ender
E
quality
and
W
omen
’
s
E
mpowerment