“Protecting and Fulfilling the Rights of the Child in the Light of Faith”

Sagakay

SPCC - SAJP Joint Child Protection Program
Looking Back At 2008 And Moving Forward
To 2010 With Hope

spccstaff-cebuFor the past year 2008, the SPCC staff, the adult and youth Child Rights Advocates(CRAs) and its partner, St. Arnold Janssen Parish through its parish priest, Fr. Rodrigo “Diggs” Salac, SVD have witnessed together the unfolding of events – full of uncertainties and challenges of the parish-based child protection program. Amidst all these, we feel that we have done our share, no matter how modest, by working together with our parishioners, with the women and children - the project’s direct beneficiaries, to get back their profound right – their right to hope. In an effort to learn from what has been and look at the future with much confidence, the Salvatorian Pastoral Council for Children and Arnold Janssen Parish joint child protection program had its year-end evaluation and planning workshop. This was held at Don Bosco Retreat House at Lawaan, Talisay City on February 9 to 10, 2009. Present were the staff, both lay and Salvatorian Sisters, Fr. Rodrigo “Diggs” Salac, SVD and the invited facilitator, Mr. Leopoldo Moselina.

Its objectives were: to review major accomplishments by programme component for the year 2008; to determine observable changes brought about by the programme at the level of children, families, parish and sitios/chapels, and the wider community; to identify major gaps or constraints and lessons learned in programme implementation; to assess current status of partnership between the Salvatorian Pastoral Care for Children and St. Arnold Janssen Parish and to suggest recommendations for future action and formulate specific work plan for 2009-2010.

The assessment and planning workshop became interactive and participatory. Small group workshops and plenary sessions have been maximized. In the assessment of programme accomplishments, these where the points elaborated: (a) assessment of accomplishments vis-à-vis objectives and expected results, (b) related the accomplishments to changes in the situation of children, women, families, parish and sub-parishes and the wider community. Meanwhile, in analyzing gaps and constraints in program implementation, the following were emphasized: (a) major gaps and constrain in terms of internal and external factors affecting implementation; and (b) lessons learned in programme implementation. In terms of SPCC - Arnold Janssen Parish partnership,t he following were the important points for discussion and sharing: (a) highlights of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and its status; (b) ways to improve and strengthen the partnership; and (c) major milestones towards the phase-out of SPCC and the corresponding actions that need to be taken.

A tangible achievement was the outlined phase-out plan and turn over plan of the parish-based child protection program. It was agreed upon that the SPCC team and Fr. Rodrigo Salac, SVD has to arrive at a common understanding of the SPCC-initiated child protection program and the parish is thrust on BEC formation. In the process, a mutual orientation session for the Parish Formation Team on child protection program and Basic Orientation Seminar on the Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC) for the Child Rights Advocates (CRAs) was seen as necessary. In the process of reorganizing the parish structures and programs towards an ideal BEC structure, the child protection program has to be integrated into an appropriate structure and ministry in the parish. Meanwhile, a continuing formation and capacity building of parish leaders and volunteers (Parish Formation Team, CRAs) is still a priority. To become a sustained program in the parish, there is a need to develop a resource mobilization strategy and plan. In addition, joint planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programs and services will still are a good practice.

The year-end evaluation have raised and sustained the staff commitment to the parish-based child protection program’s vision and it became a venue for looking inward, for reflection, for sharing, for bonding, for program updating and for fun!