Questions/Answers

Mandaluyong City is one of the pilot cities for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals-Family-based Action for Children and their Environs (SDG-FACEs). This project was rolled-out to 75 local government units during the first semester of 2017. Mobilizing local government units is one of the national government’s strategy to localize the SDGs. As a national government initiative, the target of the project are 20 girls and 20 boys aged 0 – 17 years old, per city, preferably from women-headed households. Guided by a Family Covenant enumerating selected SDGs, the women or mothers are tasked to monitor the progress of their respective child’s SDGs through a monthly report card. Mandaluyong City specifically chose to prioritize households with teenage mothers believing that the mother’s condition, whether personal, socio-economic, physical, or environmental will greatly impact on the attainment of her child’s target SDGs. Unprepared to be a parent and lacking the capacity to take care of her own welfare, how can the mother take care of her baby’s welfare for a better future? The main objective of the project is to empower each teenage mother with the necessary basic skills to adapt to her situation and be an active partner in the attainment of both mother’s and child’s SDGs. Specifically, the project aims to: -educate women and teenage mothers on various child- and women-focused SDG indicators and how they can benefit and at the same time contribute to the attainment of the SDGs; -increase awareness of responsible parenting and child care -encourage returning to school even as a working mother -develop entrepreneurs among unemployed mothers -transform these women into active community partners in advocating for women empowerment. While the mothers are being equipped with basic knowledge and skills, the focus on their children will be on survival and early childhood care and development.

The city’s SDG-FACEs project is specifically designed for the teen mothers in view of their current situation and the possible causes that led them to such situation. Through community-based workshops, the mothers were able to identify their priority issues and the actions that can be taken immediately that would lead to their desired outcomes. Among those identified with high priority are education and livelihood. Through the project, the mothers gained access to the Alternative Learning System provided by the Department of Education while home-based livelihood projects were introduced so other women and the men in their households can also participate.

The project focuses on 9 SDGs selected by the target beneficiaries based on what they deemed closer to them and where they can directly participate: SDGs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 13, and 16. Mothers were taught proper infant and young child feeding and ways to prepare simple nutritious food from what is available on the family dinner table, the children’s nutritional status monitored monthly; Mothers were given seminars on effective parenting and the perils of teen pregnancy, proper breastfeeding and personal health care. Out-of -school mothers were given access to Special sessions on Alternative Learning System – High School level allowing them to bring their babies during sessions; The mothers were made aware of their rights through an orientation on the Philippine Magna Carta of Women, Violence Against Women and Teen Dating Violence, and the Expanded Anti-Human Trafficking Law; Home-based livelihood opportunities like doll-making and chocolate-making workshops with starter kits were provided; They were given orientation on Community Vulnerability and Risks Assessment that made them aware of potential hazards present in their neighborhood and that simple actions like efficient use of water and proper garbage disposal are ways to contribute to the global effort on Climate Change Adaptation.

By involving the beneficiaries from the problem identification stage to identification of priority actions, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, thus giving them ownership of the project, the SDG-FACEs is expected to continue and attract more community involvement. With this approach the beneficiaries are made aware that their actions will impact on the attainment of their desired SDGs, their community and their overall environment. The project encourages volunteerism and partnership with institutions that resources often needed such as resource persons and venue and other logistics necessary for the activities are mostly free although the city government has funds allocated for the project.

The Population Commission reported that about 500 teenage girls give birth in the Philippines every day. The age range which now includes 10-14 years old is highly alarming since the causes are no longer limited to sexual abuse but also on teenagers engaging in premarital sex as influenced by peer pressure, lifestyle and the internet. Government interventions are more focused on curbing teen pregnancy through intensive information campaign using various media. In 2012 the Mandaluyong city government created the Task Force Batang Ina (young mother) through Ordinance No. 007, s-2010 with the same purpose. The Teen Parent and Child Program provides free pre-natal and post-partum care as well as immunization for the children. As of December 2017, a total of 168 pregnant teenagers and teenage mothers aged 13-19 years old had been consulting with the 19 public health centers in the city. While most interventions are focused on reproductive and mental health, trauma challenges and effective parenting, the end result leaves the teenage mother to the stereotyped role of a home-maker. Empowering the teenage mother for reintegration back to the community was not prioritized. The SDG-FACEs provides such empowerment through personal development, access to education, information, employment and livelihood opportunities.

The Philippine Magna Carta of Women provides for women development and participation in all spheres of society. However, in the urban poor sector where resources are very limited, the stereotyped role of women as home managers and their biological nature limit their opportunities for personal growth and professional advancement; what more of the teenage mother who is both mentally and physically unprepared to cope with her situation. By focusing on their empowerment through access to information and basic skills, and with consideration to their babies, the project beneficiaries now have opportunities for their personal advancement and participation to community development.

Forty underprivileged teenage mothers with children 0-2 years old and teenage moms-to-be were chosen in view of their proximity to each other for easier monitoring and coordination. Now with increased awareness on responsible parenting and proper child care, they are slowly transforming from being daughters into mothers. Rather than condemning them as delinquents, their parents are now more concerned with supporting them to be responsible parents. Four teen mothers who took the Alternative Learning System and passed the High School Assessment and Equivalency Test now possess High School diploma, while inspiring the rest to go back to school. Others saw opportunity for home-based entrepreneurship through the livelihood training and workshops provided them. Naming their group Strong Empowered Early Moms (SEEM) to remove the stigma of being teenage mothers, providing leadership orientation, organizing them to be formally recognized as a legitimate community organization by the Mandaluyong City Council through a resolution made them eligible to participate in local government planning and policy formulation activities. From being strangers at the start of the project, these teen mothers have bonded and became their own support group. With proper care and nutrition, their babies are growing with improved nutritional status and regular health check-up.

After the roll-out of the national initiative to the local government units, the City Planning and Development Department presented an Action Plan to the city mayor for approval. This includes creation of a city team to spearhead the implementation of the SDG-FACEs, signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between the city government and the Department of Interior Local Government – Local Government Academy who provided a grant of ₱50,000.00 for the project mobilization phase, and inclusion of the project to the 2018 City Annual Investment Plan for initial funding. The MOA was signed with the launching of the project during the Monday Program on September 2017 attended by city government officials, employees and representatives from various sectors in the city. An Executive Order by the mayor organized the city SDG-FACEs team composed of representatives from the Planning and Development Department, City Health Department, Social Welfare and Development Department, Gender and Development Office, and the City Council. Identification of target beneficiaries and activities were done during the organizational meeting of the city team.Full operationalization began in February 2018 with the gathering of the target beneficiaries and two partner non-government organizations – Soroptimist International of Mandaluyong and Unang Hakbang Foundation – for orientation on the project, selection of priority SDGs, and symbolic signing of commitment and mobilization. Separate activities were done, one for the signing of individual Family Pledges on the prioritized SDGs between mother and partner NGO member, and another for the orientation of the mothers on the monthly progress report card produced by the city team based on the guidelines provided by the national government. The city team met as needed to discuss the progress and outcome of the project. The 2018 accomplishment report was submitted to the Office of the Mayor and the DILG Regional Office for their information and guidance.

The main obstacle of the project is the situation of the beneficiaries, them being minors breastfeeding their kids, underprivileged and belonging to urban poor families. Consent forms signed by the parent or guardian of the teen mothers were always a requirement prior to the start of each activity. To enable them to attend activities with their babies, the city sets up a kiddie corner with rubberized floor mats wherever the activity is held, or make use of a nearby child-minding center where the kids can stay, with a social worker and sometimes the child’s father or grandmother looking over them.

The project was founded on strong partnership with non-government organizations operating in the city and the convergence of various service providers within the city government that facilitated sharing of resources and implementation of activities. The use of social media facilitated communication among team members and partner agencies making most of information exchanges paperless and readily accessible. Creating a social media account for the project beneficiaries provided opportunity for open communication with them making supervision and monitoring continuous. This group chatroom led to deeper bonding among beneficiaries making them their own support group providing quick response to personal issues or needs.

The initiative is an adaptation of the original Millennium Development Goals – FACES in which Mandaluyong City was among the pilot cities for implementation. Cities with impressive performance on the MDG-FACES project were again selected as pilot cities for the SDG-FACEs. The Mandaluyong project was originally assigned to the city Department of Social Welfare and Development. Since the SDGs cover a wider scope and more detailed targets, involvement of other agencies was deemed necessary. Sharing of experiences with other SDG-FACEs pilot cities on previous and current approaches provided additional motivation for the Mandaluyong team to further innovate on the project implementation.

The initiative has not been transferred or adapted to other local government units.

There are 2 potential avenues for transferability of the project: the city government and the partner NGO. Mandaluyong City is a popular program benchmarking destination for government institutions, local or international, the city being consistent awardee for the Seal of Good Local Governance, Child-friendly Local Governance, Nutrition Honor Award, and on other best practices like local legislations, manpower development, public employment service, health and education, programs for persons with disabilities, as well as pioneering policies on green building or building efficiency, zoning and land use, and development of a sustainable public cemetery. Award institutions often recommend Mandaluyong over other similarly multi-awarded cities not only for its accessibility but also for its image of openness for knowledge-sharing. Online access to information is also possible through the city website. On the other hand, Soroptimist International of Mandaluyong belongs to the Philippines Region of 96 local clubs, which in turn belongs to the Soroptimist International of the Americas, one of the 4 Soroptimist Federations under the umbrella organization of Soroptimist International. The SIM funding for the project was a grant from SI Americas thus reporting of accomplishments is mandatory, while reporting at the region level will help popularize the project among local clubs.

The project mobilized a team of individuals representing various local agencies to lead and manage the project implementation. Resource persons came from partner NGOs, volunteers and government employees while venues and audio-visual equipment for the activities were mostly government-owned either at the city or barangay level. While the project has funding appropriations from the city GAD fund, expenses and provisions for joint activities such as seminar materials, tarpaulins, handouts, drinks and snacks are shared by the city government and the partner NGO. Activities were conducted usually on a half-day basis or on Saturdays to accommodate beneficiaries with part-time weekday employment.

The project is initially funded from the city Gender and Development Fund since it addressed gender-specific issues. Initially it is a pilot project involving beneficiaries from only one barangay out of the 27 barangays in the city. By institutionalizing the project through the City Ordinance No. 706 adopted by the City Council in 2018 otherwise known as the Mandaluyong Children’s Code, the project now covers all of the 27 barangays. With the Ordinance, the SDG-FACEs team is strengthened with expanded membership, with flexibility in fund sourcing either from the GAD fund, General Fund, or 1% of the Internal Revenue Allotment.

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Progress of the project was reported by the SIM President at the Club monthly meetings during which members gave recommendations and other means of supporting the beneficiaries. Improving communication with the teenage mothers was highly recommended. At the end of one year, the findings were summarized and presented to the club highlighting the following questions: Did the project achieved its goals, objectives and outcome targets? Approximately how many women and girls benefited from the project? Has the entire project fund been used? Evaluation results were shared to the city Team for consideration in determining the next steps for the project.

A Family Profile of the teenage mothers were gathered during the mobilization phase of the project. Information taken and used as baseline were Age, Residence – living with parents and family or not; number of members in the family; Married or living together; number of children; age of children; current nutritional status of the child enrolled in the program; education level achieved; skills and talents; desire to go back to school; financial means/support; employment; amount of daily income; and questions like Who will take care of your child if you go back to school or if you work outside your home?

One year into the full implementation of the project, all the objectives have been attained, with a larger number of women benefitting from the project. This is due to the convergence approach adopted that resulted into efficient use of resources particularly financial resources. For SIM, original targets for the allocated funds have been fully attained, while resource mobilization within the city government had been facilitated, specifically, human resources and logistic support. Conduct of joint activities also allowed for more women participants from the community at less cost. Involving the community gained the city team additional eyes to watch over the teenage mothers and additional medium for popularizing the project. Enrolling the teenage mothers to the Alternative Learning System of the Department of Education had a 3-way benefit: the mothers for the education opportunity, positive performance of the DepEd mandate, and good governance for the city in reducing cases of out-of-school youths. Organizing the teenage mothers and presenting them during the Monday Program at the city hall as legitimate organization recognized by the City Council gave them new personality and opportunity to be productive members of society. Institutionalizing by virtue of a city ordinance provided the project sustainability and expanded coverage.

Mandaluyong City is composed of 27 barangays, each chaired by a barangay captain elected by the people with a term of office lasting 3 years. The pilot area for the SDG-FACEs is Barangay Addition Hills, home to the largest informal settlement in the Metro Manila. Organizing the city SDG-FACEs team through an Executive Order brought together key agencies and personnel to work on an agreed Action Plan, eliminating overlapping of services provided to the beneficiaries. By involving key personnel to represent special committees and technical working groups such as the City Nutrition Committee, Local Council for the Protection of Children, and the Gender and Development Focal System, use of time and resources needed have been streamlined especially when activities were aligned to the programs of these agencies and special bodies. The Executive Order also provided for the participation on as need basis other local agencies such as the Public Employment Service Office, Manpower and Technical-Vocational Training Center, Persons with Disabilities Affairs Division, and the Civil Registry Department. At the barangay level, the office of the Barangay Captain assisted in disseminating invitations and gathering of target beneficiaries and transporting them when the venue is outside the vicinity of the barangay.

The teenage mothers were first oriented on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the concept of the SDG-FACES. They were then asked to select which SDGs to include in the project based on their priority needs and capacity to take the necessary initial steps towards attainment of their selected goals. The goals, translated into the Filipino language for easier understanding, were written in a Family Pledge format and then signed individually by the mother and a representative of the partner NGO. Respective Family Pledge or Covenant were given to the mothers to take home and serve as reminder or checklist of what they should strive to attain. The 2 partner NGOs, Soroptimist International of Mandaluyong (SIM) and Unang Hakbang Foundation (UHF), are local organizations accredited by the City Council and are official members of the Local Council for the Protection of Children. SIM, being a volunteer organization for women, has its 2018-2020 Impact Project aligned to the SDG-FACEs, and has been the partner organization to implement, monitor and evaluate the project while UHF provided technical assistance in some activities as needed. SIM introduced the project to the Barangay Addition Hills officials and community leaders to get their support and cooperation.

Working with teenage mothers is a big challenge primarily because of their young age and accustomed life in the urban poor community. As minors, they lack the capacity to decide or commit to particular tasks as members of the group resulting to failure to attend to some of the activities. Having babies prone to sickness or needing close attention is another big factor for non-attendance. With their economic status, providing for their daily subsistence takes priority over preparing for the future of their children through capacitating themselves with education and skills development. However, the knowledge that the project will expand to other barangays and that other groups of teenage mothers will be organized brings about the competitive nature of the present beneficiaries that the teenage mothers are regrouping and striving to be visibly productive in the community. To take advantage of this competitive nature would require closer and constant communication with these teenage mothers. Interventions like counselling and orientation on life skills would have to be more intensive leading to self-sufficiency. The city team has to re-design the project, tap human resource skilled on life coaching, and adopt strategies to encourage stronger commitment from new beneficiaries of the expanded project.