Merlyn Tresero normally has to cross two rivers and walk seven hours by foot to reach the town proper of Guindulungan in Maguindanao del Sur, where the nearest rural health facility is located. 

Merlyn, who is a member of the Teduray tribe (one of the indigenous groups in southwestern Mindanao), lives in the hilly village of Barangay Ahan in Guindulungan, a 6th class municipality in the Philippines. Most of her neighbors face the same arduous journey every time they need to access health care or other social services. 

Their other two options are to spend P150 for a one-way motorcycle ride — an amount that many cannot afford —  or to ride a horse, both of which take four hours. 

Merlyn, who was eight months pregnant at the time of the interview, now opts to ride a horse when it is not in use by other family members. This is relatively more comfortable than a motorcycle, especially on a bumpy unpaved road, although she still has to walk for 30 minutes going to the rural health unit.

The 40-year-old mother used to earn a living selling vegetables grown in her backyard garden. One of her buyers told her that she could find additional income volunteering at the rural health unit or facilitating community-based activities. It was through that information that she learned about cause-oriented groups and was later tapped as a Women-Friendly Space (WFS) facilitator. Merlyn is one of the 75 WFS facilitators from five municipalities targeted by the project.

Women-Friendly Spaces are part of the “Resilient Livelihoods Development Project for Women and Youth IDPs (internally-displaced persons)” supported by the Australian Government. 

Bai Masla Beng Campiao, one of the coordinators of UNFPA’s implementing partner Mindanao Organization for Social and Economic Progress (MOSEP), said WFS were previously tents deployed during humanitarian emergencies.

“This is the first time that WFS facilities are made of concrete,” she said, explaining that it was envisioned to be a comfortable place where women can gather and talk about rights and issues.

Besides serving as a venue for community-based activities, the WFS are also being considered for innovative uses such as a communal kitchen for nutrition promotion and the livelihood aspect of the project, or a half-way home for pregnant women coming from far-flung villages like Merlyn’s.

Jointly implemented by UNFPA and UN FAO, the project also involves the training of WFS facilitators who assist rural health units in coordinating and delivering services related to maternal health, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and prevention and response to gender-based violence, especially during emergencies and in remote areas in Mindanao.

For remote villages, the role of WFS facilitators like Merlyn are crucial.

“During our training, we were taught how to encourage pregnant women (in our communities) to consult with doctors. We were also taught how to deal with cases of gender-based violence, help raise awareness about it,” she said, recalling her sessions with MOSEP.

WFS facilitators fill the gaps of service between remote areas and the local government unit.

Merlyn, since becoming a facilitator, serves as a link between her community and the rural health unit and the municipal social welfare office.

Because of her important work, she has also gotten a boost in confidence and a great deal of fulfillment.

“When I walk around my community, people greet me and ask me to visit them and update them about important things happening at the center. They ask me when I will visit the rural health center or to remind them of their pre-natal schedules,” she said.

“I sometimes feel like I am a celebrity because everyone wants to talk to me,” Merlyn jokingly said.

Besides that, they also engage in intergenerational dialogues to discuss with members of the community important topics such as child, early and forced marriage and intimate partner violence.

With the skills she learned from the project, she has learned how to talk to families with cases of abuse. “For example, I’ve explained to parents that they should not physically and emotionally hurt their children,” she said, adding that there are other ways to teach discipline.

“There was one case where a 17-year-old girl came to me and said that she was being abused by his 19-year-old husband. She invited the couple to her house and discussed the repercussions of violence against women and children and why it should not be tolerated.”

In cases of medical emergencies, Merlyn has helped families access services since the rural health unit and the municipal social welfare office are too far and too costly for them to visit. 

“I teach them to write a note for the midwife, detailing the illness. For example, fever and cough,” she said, adding that it also serves as a certificate of authority for her to receive the medicine on their behalf.

“We are really grateful how this project has helped them, Especially the Teduray (tribe),” Merlyn said. “It would be good if we can establish more WFS in other villages.”

Bai Masla Beng said that as the project’s coordinator in Guindulungan, she has seen how it has helped the facilitators like Merlyn become empowered and resilient. 

“We know that Maguindanao experiences all sorts of disasters, human-made calamities and conflict. Through this project, they learn to be resilient and to not be fully dependent on their husbands,” she said.

Besides learning about sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender-based violence and maternal health, Merlyn has also benefited from the experience with the creation of a new community among WFS facilitators.

“They are all so kind. We share our experiences. We help each other. They even help me during times when I do not have money for transportation. They make sure I have food,” she said.

A teary-eyed Merlyn recalled how on the day she was set to sign her contract, she had to walk the whole day to get to the WFS and back to her home. When her fellow facilitators learned about what happened, they said, “You should tell us if you need help because in our line of work, we are also your family.”

Asked about what inspires her to do her work, besides the sisterhood she has gained from the other facilitators, Merlyn said, “With the WFS, we are able to help a lot of people. And people (from our communities) love us back because of that.”

The “Resilient Livelihoods Development Project for Women and Youth IDPs” supported by the Australian Government will continue until 2024. It aims to enable women and youth IDPs meaningful participation in sustainable and resilient agricultural livelihood initiatives through increased health, protection,  and wellness. In addition to Guindulungan, it is also being implemented in Datu Odin Sinsuat and Talitay in Maguindanao del Norte, as well as Datu Saudi Ampatuan and Shariff Saydona Mustapha in Maguindanao del Sur.

- Written by Kristine Sabillo Guerrero, Media & Communications Analyst, UNFPA Philippines