Working together and better coordination are important factors in sustaining the functionality of local government councils to efficiently respond to the needs of women and children.

This is one of the key learnings by 18 social workers from Albay who participated in a study tour in Ifugao and Baguio City through the support of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) of Albay. The study tour is part of activities aimed at building their capacities to effectively deliver services to the people of Albay.

The study tour was organized to allow Albay’s programme implementers to observe relevant programmes in Ifugao and Baguio City, which bear some similarities in context with Albay. Both Albay and Baguio City are urbanized areas with high cases of gender-based violence (GBV).  Albay and Ifugao can learn from each other in tapping the strong political will of provincial leaders to strengthen programmes on violence against women and children.

In Ifugao, the group visited the Provincial Crisis Intervention Center, Women and Children Protection Unit, Pink Counseling room, day care centers and physical fitness gym for persons with disabilities (PWDs), and the Provincial High Speed Sewing and Computer Learning Center for youth. In Baguio City, they visited the Consuelo Home, a facility for abused children, and the Rotary Life Skills Center, which caters to children in conflict with the law.

Through the visits, the participants were able to appreciate the value of having Albay’s own facilities for children and women, as well as their own Provincial Crisis Intervention Center. In fact, they have been motivated to build their own centers.

There was also a sharing of experiences between the participants and host province and city, such as on strengthening advocacy promotion and programme implementation. The governor and vice governor of Ifugao and law enforcement and prosecution officers in Baguio City joined the discussions.

The social workers, who handle  special cases of women and children, were accompanied by key officers from Albay’s PSWDO, gender and development (GAD) programme, Child Abuse Prevention and Intervention Network (CAPIN) and UNFPA Philippines. (Text and photo by Albay Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office)