Cotabato City, Philippines – Noraya Amat was a first year college student when she was forced to drop out due to her family’s financial problems. As an out-of-school youth, she faced discrimination in her community. She was looked down upon and viewed as ignorant simply because she was not able to earn a college degree.

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has the highest percentage of out-of-school youth in the Philippines, with over 40 percent of its population, aged 16 to 24 years old, deprived of education due to various reasons. This is twice the national percentage of out-of-school youth (20 percent) in the country, according to the World Bank (2019).

Amid the region’s challenges in education access, young people experience discrimination in the community.

Following that experience, Noraya ended up joining the Bangsamoro Islamic Women Auxiliary Brigade (BIWAB) like the other women in her community. BIWAB was an all-female supplementary force that constituted a part of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

After decades of peace talks, the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) was signed in 2018 and the once Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) transitioned into BARMM.

With fighting halted between the MILF and the Philippine government, Noraya, her fellow BIWAB members, and the combatant groups of the MILF disengaged from armed services.

Seeking to assist in the BIWAB’s meaningful reintegration into society and acknowledging the important role of women in peace-building and reconciliation, the "Supporting Conflict Transformation Towards Effective Peacebuilding" (STEP) Project was created through the support of the UN Peacebuilding Fund, and joint implementation of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), International Organization for Migration and UN Women.

Through UNFPA’s initiatives including the STEP project, Noraya and other BIWAB members became Women Peace Facilitators (WPF) in 2020. They were trained to become gender and peace champions and helped raise awareness about women's rights, about prevention and response to gender-based violence, as well as to promote the culture of peace in Bangsamoro communities.

As part of these initiatives, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) awareness trainings were conducted to empower and encourage former female combatants to participate in peacebuilding in communities in Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur and North Cotabato that are in the process of reintegration.

Noraya shared that most of them struggled during the first few weeks of being a peace facilitator because they were not used to standing in front of a crowd, let alone talking to other people. Before the reintegration, BIWAB members were advised not to go outside of their homes because of the stigma they face for being part of the MILF, and because they need to be on call whenever the MILF’s armed wing needed support, food, and medical assistance.

But after a few weeks of working at the Municipal Social Services Division office, doing courtesy calls and going to different villages to conduct awareness raising, Noraya’s inhibitions and self-doubt slowly faded away. All the discrimination she experienced in the past for being an out-of-school youth became her motivation.

“We were afraid that we would answer the participants’  questions incorrectly, so we studied even more. We took it as a challenge. Nonviolent Peaceforce (UNFPA’s implementing partner) was very approachable and helpful in answering all our questions. They also helped us penetrate communities and took action whenever we were discriminated against in the barangays and municipalities,” Noraya said.

Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) taught them that proper coordination, open communication, and unarmed civilian protection were key to building peaceful relationships. They always made sure to coordinate with and ask permission from the barangay captains (village chiefs) before going to the area. Noraya shared that even village councilors helped them in gathering participants for awareness-raising sessions. Often, they would exceed their target number of participants as more people than expected show their eagerness to learn.

Noraya, who has new-found confidence, said she is grateful to UNFPA and the Nonviolent Peaceforce for believing in her capabilities and giving her and other BIWAB members a chance to make a difference and turn their lives around through their programs.

A Second Chance at School

 “I had very low self-esteem before the program, but participating helped me regain my confidence and helped me find the motivation to move forward and continue...Through time, I have gained the confidence to empower others and give lectures on topics that I used to not know about. It also made me realize that if I can stand in front of a crowd to give lectures, I can definitely sit down in a classroom and go back to school to study,” Noraya said.

She said the monthly cash-for-work income she received from the program helped fund her mobile loading business and buy handouts and materials for school projects.

“I was hesitant to go back to school at first because of my age. Now, I’m proud of myself for continuing my studies and not letting my age stop me from going back,” Noraya said.

As she aspired to become a social studies teacher, Noraya incorporated in her learning some insights she gathered from her fieldwork. Some of her classmates even asked if she’s already on her second degree because of the way she confidently carried herself during recitations and her knowledge on some of the topics they discussed.

Noraya also brings her advocacy and awareness-raising efforts to the classroom and discusses gender-based violence with her classmates. She also shares stories at home to enlighten her relatives. Although not everyone is keen to listen, for her, what’s important is they get a chance to explain that violence, in any form, does not do anyone good.

Lessons to be Treasured

“We faced many challenges during the duration of the program, but one thing we learned is that when you love what you are doing, nothing is impossible,” Noraya said.

Noraya looks back at her journey with a smile on her face and her head held high. From being an out-of-school youth, she became a proud para-social worker under the Municipal Social Services Division.

“I don’t consider the completion of the program the end of it because I can use all I’ve gained for the rest of my life. The lessons, the experience, the people I met – they are all priceless. All of these, I will carry with me no matter where I go,” she said.

Noraya is currently studying BS Education, major in Social Studies, in a university in Mindanao. She is a consistent dean’s lister, an award given to the top percentage of students in a university. 

Recently, she received another opportunity and became a Women Friendly Spaces (WFS) facilitator for the UNFPA’s “Resilient Livelihoods Development Project for Women and Youth IDPs” supported by the Australian Government.

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As the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA has been at the forefront of addressing reproductive health issues and gender-based violence during conflict situations. Besides providing for capacity-building of former BIWAB members, UNFPA has assisted in improving access to comprehensive, multi-sectoral gender-based violence, maternal health, sexual and reproductive health services, information, and commodities during humanitarian emergencies.