BY EDISON MARTE SICAD
LAST July 21, 2023, Friday, COMELEC Iloilo conducted the second part of its year-long 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.
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This column is a continuation of the learnings and insights of the COMELEC facilitators who, in one way or another, had made a difference in the lives of these survivors.
COMELEC Iloilo FACILITATORS: insights and learnings
“As a new employee of the COMELEC, I never expected to experience activities like this one. Helping these young girl survivors was an eye-opener; and it brought me into a realization that life indeed is a series of ups and downs. And in the middle of these challenges and triumphs, despite the storms, God Almighty would always be in our side: a rainbow after the rain.
My heart was crushed while listening to one of the girl’s stories and at the back of my mind I said, ‘I am grateful that I get to work at COMELEC. Pwede gid ko kabulig biskan gamay lang para mabuhinan man ang nabatyag nila.’
On that day, I promised to extend my helping hands whenever we will have an activity with CAMELEON. Thank you, COMELEC for this heartfelt experience.” ~ Jade Zabala
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“After a day of having our GAD program with the girls from CAMELEON Association, I felt rewarded, fulfilled, and empowered. I never thought that an act as simple as spending a short, quality time with the CAMELEON girls who had a rough start in life could go a long way.
Through the activities, I learned the importance of being seen, heard, and cared for: experiences that were somehow deprived to these girls. I felt the need to reach out more and be of help to others. It also made me appreciate the importance of CAMELEON and other similar associations that help transform and protect the lives of many.” ~ Cham Suan
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“Having given the chance to be a member and participant in this CAMELEON Project, my eyes were opened to the harsh reality of one of the social stigmas that has long been affecting our youth but more often taken for granted because of its cultural, moral, and gender sensitivity.
Learning about the pains of these CAMELEON kids remind me of the harsh reality of this social stigma. Being with them in the past two activities made me realize that a child’s world that was once crushed and crumbled could still be rebuilt.This time, stronger and better.
I realized that we should be appreciative and grateful to charitable institutions like the CAMELEON Assoc. Inc. For every CAMELEON child deserves a renewed life: a life full of hope, dreams, and aspirations. For every CAMELEON child deserves to fulfill her ambitions in life.
I personally felt a sense of fulfillment that in my own little way I was able to put a smile in their faces and made them think that ‘Hey, I am not alone in this situation. I have other people who made me realize that I am worthy, I am valued.’
I was able to make them happy. And that gave me a sense of fulfillment. As Mahatma Gandhi said: ‘The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.’ “- Liz Lim
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“The CAMELEON girls have taught me that no matter what challenges we may face in life, we must never let ourselves be defeated by these obstacles. Let us not be influenced by how others perceive us. And let us never be worried about the negative opinions of other people.
The optimism of the CAMELEON girls made me realize that there is more to life than living up to expectations. We must always look at the bright side of life in order to survive the challenges it brings.” ~ Fralyn Marfori
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Knowing that we have made a difference to others is also a form of learning. For the value of learning is not always quantifiable. On the part of the COMELEC facilitators, they have learned that living a better life is also about making other people’s lives better. To make a difference is a realization that we also have to think of others. To help, and in a sense, be counted as one of those who have given hope to those in need./PN
