BY EDISON MARTE SICAD
LAST July 21, 2023, Friday, COMELEC Iloilo continued the second part of its Gender and Development(GAD) Activity with CAMELEON,an association that provide interventions to young girl survivors of sexual abuse, aged 5-17 years old, from various localities in Western Visayas
In the first part of this column, I shared the poem of one of the survivors for readers to have a glimpse and somehow “see” things in her perspective.
In this column, I would like to share the learnings and insights on the part of the COMELEC facilitators who did a really good job in giving hope and inspiration to these girl survivors.
COMELEC Iloilo Facilitators: Insights And Learnings
“Personally, I strongly believe in the verse ‘Train up a child in the (correct) way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ And these girls, they are not hopeless and helpless, because we made them realize that they too have the right and privilege to be happy and to be loved in spite and despite of their past experience — painful and bitter as it was.
Yet, it’s not the end of the road for them; but a bright future awaits basta mag padayon lang sila kag pakamayuhon ang ila kaugalingon. With hope and faith in the Lord, they will emerge victorious.” ~ Miss D.
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“To give love and light to the Cameleon girls is one of the best feelings ever: an incomparable sense of fulfillment money cannot even buy. On such occasion, we were able to remind the girls that they are loved and valued; that the world outside is safe; that there is hope; and that they can fulfill their dreams whatever the circumstances.
They can find families outside the homes that once altered their outlooks in life. They can find a family that looks out for them and looks up to them as hopeful girls with big dreams and steadfast faith to believe they are more than their past experiences. Like our colleagues, we were more than grateful and empowered because we have empowered them.” ~ Mau Jardeleza
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“Resilience: a word which means to bounce back from life’s adversities. Often used to denote people who withstood the darkest of days, it is my major takeaway from our last activity with Cameleon.
The girl survivors, being the victims of the most horrendous abuse any woman can ever imagine, were still able to mark their faces with sweet smiles. Healing from a traumatic experience takes time, but with their faith and resilience, they were able to regain confidence to fight their perpetrators. They are painting a ray of hope not just among themselves but also to the other victims with the same unfortunate fate.
During the group dynamics activity, I was surprised to see the girls exhibiting exemplary drawing skills. These are not just girls with an unfortunate past; these are talented women who have a lot of potential to be whoever they dream to be in the future. This healing and recovery process is being facilitated by Cameleon that provides the girl survivors with a warm, loving home where they can rise above the abuse they’ve encountered.
Now, Comelec-Iloilo is part of that family which aims to provide additional support to the girl residents. It is an honor to be a part of an activity which promotes humanity. Comelec is not just about being the vanguards of the ballot.
We now extend our services to causes like this, promoting women empowerment and helping the less fortunate. Indeed, the girl survivors are way beyond their trauma. They can still rise again and be harbingers of hope.” ~ Cookie Rosales
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“The Cameleon experience made me re-evaluate my life in retrospect, and understand what happiness truly means. Every moment with the Cameleon girls is undeniably striking. It was then that I felt a sense of unexplainable joy with a tinge of pain as I witnessed the endless laughter, outpouring hearts singing in unison, and a gravitating exchange of warmest hugs.
I was stirred to the core knowing that the happiness they felt was twice as much than mine. The COMELEC Family was a willing refuge to embrace these girls in their storms, but we can only do so much. It may not be a lasting village to raise them, but I hope we got to bring these children up to always remember that there was ‘this day’: that their laughters were others’ ultimate joy; that their talents took everyone’s breath away; that their voices were the sweetest of hymns; and that they were loved more than they know.
I just hope that they will never lose sight of their very own purpose and happiness. And will take the same experience as a weapon of courage to remind them that they are the strongest warriors who are valued and cheered upon. I pray to see them take their childhood back and rewrite their colorful future ahead. As for me, I’d take this encounter as a whole new village that I have been through, because I felt like it raised my inner child too.” ~ Elie Magote
IN CONCLUSION, learning is a two-way process. And reaching out to others is the best way of learning from each other—as well as the best example of loving one another: a human quality and need that we all can relate with./PN
