Through the Support-a-Dream campaign, FORGE launched a resource generation mechanism for the children’s education. After more than a year, the Support-a-Dream campaign is continually gaining support. Currently, it has generated more than PhP 400,000.00 from individual donors, institutional partners and other organizations.

To date, FORGE was able to support about 127 students in the elementary and secondary, enrolled 150 students in Alternative Learning System (ALS), and one college student. For the incoming school year, their continuing education will be supported and we hope to support 50 more children.

A Dutch development student, who previously volunteered in FORGE-RESCUE Project, is currently organizing a benefit party in the Netherlands to support FORGE’s programs.

Through your support, their dreams are slowly gaining light. Thank you for continually supporting their dreams!

FOUR urban poor groups in Cebu City and Mandaue are opposing the demolition of houses within danger zones since displaced families are not being compensated or offered relocation site.

The four groups include the Fellowship for Organizing Endeavors (FORGE) Inc. in Cebu City; Sulong Mandauehanong Kabus (SUMAKA) Inc., a federation of 27 multisectoral organizations in Mandaue City; Alaska Federation, a Cebu City federation of SIR beneficiaries from 14 sitios in Alaska, Mambaling; and Lareha Homeowners’ Association Inc. (LAREHAI), composed of 210 households occupying 11 blocks along the riverbanks of Kalunasan River.

In a press statement, the federations, led by FORGE, said they appreciate the initiatives of Mandaue and Cebu Cities to clear any obstruction along riverbanks that may result in flooding or landslides in Metro Cebu.

But the federations were alarmed by the demolitions since there were no consultations held nor compensation or relocation site given as mandated by the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA) of 1992.

They also lamented the LGUs branding of the urban poor residing along riverbanks as the main reason flooding in the cities of Cebu and Mandaue.

They said this was baseless and a product of reactive decision-making without comprehensive planning on mitigating floods. They said that big establishments in the cities of Cebu and Mandaue were responsible for the flooding, but LGUs did not call their attention.

They cited the flooding in barangay Mantuyong, Mandaue City, which became flooded for the first time after the Cebu International Convention Center and Parkmall were built in the area.

The flooding in barangay Mabolo was also not that alarming before until SM Cebu and Radisson Blu were built.

Waterflow of the Kalunasan river also doubled its intensity compared to the current flow after the Cebu provincial jail and Cebu city jail were built on top of the mountain of Kalunasan.

Flooding in Mambaling was also not that significant until South Road Properties (SRP) was developed.

FORGE is now doing an inventory on how many families will be affected by the demolition of houses along Kalunasan river.

The federations said the LGUs should conduct a comprehensive planning on how to effectively mitigate flooding in the city in consultation with various sectors such as the urban poor, the private sector and other business groups.

Also, they should provide relocation sites complete with basic social services to those who will be displaced and extend financial assistance to those who will opt to avail of the Balik Probinsya program.

They also said the LGUs should provide a temporary evacuation center to families whose houses are constructed on waterways, which are now subject to immediate demolition, and give them priority in the relocation site.

Vidal Auxilio of FORGE also added that the demolition should undergo due process, which includes 30-day notice but Noel Artes of SPEED said there was no such need because the structures were illegal per se.

When their houses were demolished before, most occupants just returned a few weeks or months later.

So far, Artes said they have demolished 28 houses in barangay Kasambagan while 11 families volunteered to demolish their own homes. Removal will continue on Monday. The city government will take care of transporting the displaced families back to their hometowns. On Tuesday, they will start demolition along Bulacao river, Guadalupe river and Kalunasan river. ###

This project is made possible in partnership with Feed the Children – Philippines who provided the Vitameal packs, friends from Sacred Heart School for Boys Batch 1985 andFilinvest Sapphire Team for the rice.

Seventy percent of the 100 children identified in TULHOA, Barangay Busay ages from three to six years old. On the other hand, 60 percent of the 100 children from SITAPRA, Barangay Mambaling ages from two to six years old. This situation shows that mulnutrition cases are high among very young children.

The project is hoped to encourage families and communities on the value of proper nutrition during the formative years of a child. Thus, parents/guardians of children-beneficiaries are encouraged to provide a counterpart of a meager amount for them to have a stake in this worthwhile endeavor.

FORGE is envisioning that this project will be replicated to other urban poor communities. Hence, the organization is encouraging friends who want to help fight malnutrition among children to participate on this project. For more details on how to help, please call FORGE, Inc. at (032) 412-6328 or email to forge_cebu@yahoo.com and look for Aliza Belarmino. ###

Off to a hearty meal

IT is in this line that FORGE and partner organizations, ChildFund and World Vision, has planned to undertake intensive review classes daily, three weeks before their scheduled exam, or shall start by the 2nd week of September until the 1st week of October, specifically from Sept. 13 – Oct. 1, 2010.

We call on dynamic and interested volunteers who wish to help these children “break from the cycle of violence” in their lives. We are open to ten (10)- twenty (20) volunteers who shall work with us throughout the three-week review.

Should you be interested, please contact (032-410 7366) or email us at forgerescue@yahoo.com, and let’s discuss how we can arrange our schedules. Certificates would be provided.

If you are interested to take part in this worthy endeavor, please contact Horace Señagan, FORGE-RESCUE Volunteer Coordinator at (032)410-7366/ 435-7649 or email us at forge_cebu@yahoo.com.

Three urgent appeals
PERSPECTIVE By Cherry Ballescas (The Freeman) Updated August 12, 2010 12:00 AM

Several appeals have reached us since Monday.

First came this urgent appeal from newly-elected Cebu City Councilor Alvin Dizon. He wrote that 1,500 urban poor families were left homeless in Brgy T. Padilla, Cebu City after a fire gutted their homes Monday noon. The fire victims need food, drinking water, used clothing, and blanket.

To those among you who wish to share whatever you can, for any form of assistance that you can share, please coordinate with the barangay officials of T Padilla c/o Capt. Rallota whom you can contact at this number, 09189123920 or Kagawad Jumao-as at 09218495784. You may also contact the office of Cebu City Councilor Alvin Dizon at 2544334. Kindly look for Shyne.

If you saw the tv footage of the fire last Monday, the faces of the fire victims may still be difficult to erase from your memory. The same problems related to fires in many communities of the city were also reported: water shortage narrow alleys, crowd control, among others. Perhaps, it is time for the new set of Cebu City officials to draw up a more reliable, efficient disaster management system, not only to address problems related to fires but to other forms of disasters and calamities as well.

Councilor Nida Cabrera hopes to move in that direction in a scheduled meeting with multisectoral partners at her officed this Thursday afternoon. The immediate reason for the meeting is to draw up urgent measures to manage the infestation of caterpillars at Bgy. Toong which has prematurely turned the green leaves of the teak trees in the area to brown Some residents of the area have also reported having the til-as in their homes, even on their beds.

What is clear is the need and the appeal for a clear effective system of collaborative partnerships and initiatives to respond positively and effectively to the various problems affecting the residents of Cebu City.

Finally, the third came from FORGE, a time-tested, proven, authentic and sincere NGO. This is a message from FORGE to those who wish to partner with them to make a child’s dream come true. Their appeal is directed to partners and donors who will assist a very special group of children have a better future.

“ Tina is a college student taking up Social Work in a downtown university. She was a little girl lost when we found her in the streets many years ago. She had run away from home after being sexually abused by a male cousin. A pimp took charge of her and she managed to survive earning from her work in prostitution.

Delia is a young woman working in the Mactan Export Processing Zone. She learned to fend for herself at a very early age after her parents broke up and left her in the care of an old and destitute aunt. She started to live on the streets with friends who introduced her to drugs and eventually to prostitution. After two years of regular visits to the FORGE-RESCUE Activity Center where she participated in varied psycho-social activities, she enrolled in the alternative learning system and finished the course.

Tina and Delia are only two of the many girls who have changed the course of their lives after being active participants in FORGE RESCUE program. RESCUE stands for Rescuing Sexually-exploited Children Under Eighteen. Through intensive outreach work, FORGE RESCUE Program has managed to help close to 2,000 commercially sexually exploited children (CSEC). The program covers the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-lapu. For the past three years, it has been able to assist the rehabilitation and reintegration of about 160 children into their families and communities.

For the next three years, FORGE plans to send 200 more children to finish their secondary education. This became a big challenge, however, when the global crisis struck late last year. The funding partner reduced its support by thirty percent. Consequently, FORGE needs to raise the remaining amount of P700,000, hence, this solicitation campaign.

FORGE wishes to share with you the opportunity of helping these children realize a brighter future. For P8,000, you can already send a child through high school and sustain the psycho-social interventions needed for their personal development. However, any amount sincerely given by friends like you will go a long way to make the program a success.

Let us share our blessings with these children. Help make their dreams come true.

For more information about the project, you may contact Aliza Belarmino or Horace Señagan, thru forge_cebu@yahoo. com or call telefax (63 32) 412-6862.”

So much appeal for help. Let us all do our best to share and be part of the solutions to these problems and reach out to our brothers and sisters in need.

1. HOUSEPARENT

• Preferably college graduate
• Willing to work stay-in in a Children’s Home
• Loves to work with children aged 10-17 years old
• Female, 30 years old and above

1. LIVELIHOOD OFFICER

• Graduate of a business-related course
• Has actual experience in running a business
• Can prepare budget proposal and reports
• Can supervise people
• Female

Interested applicants must submit application letter, resume, and TOR on or before June 15, 2010 to:

The Executive Director

Door4, Middle Rd, Queens Rd (at the back of Iglesia ni Cristo Church along Mango Ave), Kamputhaw, Cebu City

Tel No.: (032) 412-6862: Email: forge_cebu@yahoo.com

In an interview with Sun.Star Cebu, Patricio Gabuya, director of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) 7 and chairman of the board of judges for the search, said Barangay Luz has shown good governance practices.

“Nakita namo nga sigun sa ilang plano, na-implementar gyud ilang mga proyekto. Ang mga tawo sab, mingtabang gyud sa pagplano. Ikaduha, aduna sila’y kumpleto nga record sa ilang mga proyekto ug sa ilang mga minutes of the meeting, kumpleto gyud (We’ve seen that they implemented their programs according to plan. The people joined the planning. They have complete records of their projects),” said Gabuya.

The OBDC search recognizes barangays that excel in participatory governance, showcase good governance practices of Cebu City barangays and encourage other barangays to develop participatory participatory governance.

In her acceptance speech, Cabrera said she was confident their BDC would win.

“Confident ko nga modaug mi tungod sa daghan nga proyekto nga among gihimo para sa katawhan (I was confident we would win because of the various projects we have for the people),” she said.

Barangay Luz has been known for its Kwarta sa Basura (Cash in Trash) Project (KSBP) that converts recyclables collected from households and partner institutions into handicraft items.

The project is an effort of the barangay to get its constituents involved in local governance.

For winning the OBDC search, Barangay Luz received P150,000 from the Cebu City government.

Other winners are the BDC of Barangay Budlaan (1st runner up) winning p75,000; the BDC of Barangay Kalunasan (2nd runner up) winning P50,000; and the BDC of Barangay Ermita (3rd runner up) winning P25,000.

The OBDC search, which was first launched in 2005, is a partnership project between the Cebu City Government and the Fellowship for Organizing Endeavors, Inc., in coordination with the Center of Participatory Governance and Kaabag sa Sugbu Network. PDF

Source: Sun.Star Cebu Friday, March 19, 2010

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=557909&publicationSubCategoryId=109

Gratefully, elections do not last. Gratefully too, elections or none,
there are genuine people and genuine groups and organizations.

FORGE’s Gwen Ngolaban comes to mind as one of those who have offered
their lives (literally speaking) in the service of our people. Among
the first organizations that we partnered with in Cebu, we have
witnessed how FORGE (which stands for Fellowship for Organizing
Endeavors) developed, amidst much challenges and much perseverance,
through the years, with Gwen’s invaluable committed leadership and just
as dedicated partners to assist the disadvantaged to help themselves.

FORGE encouraged and organized those who thought life had nothing more
to offer them because they had been prostituted. FORGE joined and
organized the vendors at the pier and the residents in other
communities to go beyond their difficulties and proceed to plan
together, to decide better effective alternatives, better lives for
themselves.

They have not only organized the working children, the urban poor, the
women, the pier vendors and trisikad drivers. FORGE has also been very
active in engaging public officials to include the civil society
representatives in the planning, decision-making and implementation
networks of local government units. And more.

Among the greatest achievements of this organization that genuinely
works for and with the poor and disadvantaged among our people is the
inspiration they have instilled among the youth to dedicate their lives
as well for the service of the poor.

We have witnessed how many new young recruits have risen through the
challenges encountered by FORGE as an organization and how they offered
and continue to offer their committed service throughout the various
communities and groups that they have proactively engaged with.

Alvin Dizon is one of these young members of FORGE Inc. we had the
occasion to meet since the 1990s. Quiet and reflective, we saw how
Alvin grew up in the service of our people. At the pier, in various
communities, always with and for the poor and the disadvantaged, Alvin
joined FORGE where he could offer his commitment and dedication for our
people.

Not one to mouth slogans, Alvin showed patience and depth of
understanding far beyond his tender age then to process contending
views and conflicting parties and to suggest fair, just and
constructive compromises as effective win-win solutions for all. Where
blatant injustice however was present, Alvin never hesitated to show
his commitment and dedication in favor of the unduly disadvantaged and
abused.

We also witnessed how he could easily persuade others to take his
position. No grandstanding for this person, just calm, patient,
persuasive dialogue and engagement.

Since FORGE or with FORGE, rather, Alvin has gone on to share his
brand of committed, dedicated engagement for the poor, for the youth,
for the unduly disadvantaged beyond Cebu, with other national and
global networks.

Incidentally and gratefully, Alvin Dizon has made that major decision
to run for Cebu City councilor (north district) under BOPK in the
coming May elections.

Personally, he wrote us, he would have preferred ” not to subject my
life to unbridled public scrutiny and the nuances of politics.” But
after series of consultations with groups that urged him to run and
after soul searching, Alvin decided, that ” the time is ripe for us to
engage from within with the people backing us and with whom, we are
truly accountable.”

Alvin Dizon hopes to bring his long years of engagement for and with
the people and communities and focus on institutionalizing
participatory mechanisms and processes for effective empowering of
barangay communities. He hopes to facilitate the creation of an
advisory council to be composed of key leaders from urban poor groups,
NGOs and concerned individuals to provide input for legislative work
and to guide local governance work.

Aside from institutionalizing citizens’ participation in
legislative work and governance, Alvin Dizon also aims to promote
genuine transparency and accountability by sharing regular reports of
his legislative work to the general public through a people’s assembly.

Gratefully, FORGE Inc. and Alvin Dizon are very much around to prove
that there are those who genuinely engage and dedicate their
organization and even their lives for the poor, for the genuinely
disadvantaged in our society.

Let us all do our share to help our fellow Filipinos!!!

Neo-Humanism, Vegetarianism and Sustainability.

The speaker of the activity was Dada Shiilabradananda, a Canadian yoga and intuitional science teacher and Global Coordinator of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Plants (PCAP). Dada Shiila has been instructing individuals, groups and companies in the art of meditation, autogenetic training, creative visualization, sense withdrawal and positive self assertiveness exercises. Under his mentorship, thousands of individuals have found a change of perspective and renewed inspiration.

FORGE staff and its allied networks who took part in the activity learned about the Principle of Non-Accumulation and Principle of Consumerism. 

These principles emphasize that happiness lies not in WHAT WE HAVE but WHAT WE ARE. While Neo-Humanism is the practice of love for all created human beings.

Dada Shiila also shared an interesting fact that 18% of the greenhouse gases come from animal manure chemically know as methane gas.

He also urged the staff to reduce on consumptive lifestyle especially on what we eat and what we buy. On vegetarianism, Dada Shiila imparted that its the most sustainable practice where equitable sharing of resources are addressed compared to eating meat where only a few have access.

As a parting thought, he quoted Margaret Mead in saying “never think a small group cannot change the world. In fact it’s the only thing that ever has. “