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Seafarers' wives in Davao coached |
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Posted on October 31 2008 DAVAO CITY - Female spouses of seafarers from two spouses groups here – the Mary Star of the Sea Seafarers’ Families Association (MaSSSFA) and the Veritas Allottees Circle of Davao City - took a weekend off from their families last 17-18 October 2008 to learn skills on communication and sexuality. Under the PRIMEX-led ADB project on Supporting Women at Risk and Vulnerable to HIV/AIDS in the Philippines (RETA 6143), PRIMEX and ACHIEVE, its NGO partner, collaborated in holding the two-day activity where participants were made to look deeply into their own sexuality, learn to communicate verbally with their spouses, express their sexuality, negotiate for safe sex practices, and appreciate and be comfortable with their own sexuality.
If the conventional Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) message to seafarers before was ABC (abstain, be faithful, and consistent condom use), a more comprehensive take-home message promoted among (arriving) seafarers now is SAVE (Safer Practices, Access to treatment, Voluntary counseling and testing, and Empowerment). Among the training speakers were ACHIEVE’s Ms. Malu Marin, RETA 6143 Project Team Leader, who gave an overview on HIV and AIDS, and Ms. Gladys Malayang, Project Implementation and Evaluation Specialist, who conducted the communication workshops and hands-on use of condoms. Ms. Carolina Agdamag, Officer-in-Charge of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Mindanao Regional Center, spoke on the rights of allottees, while Dr. Alexandrina Marcelo from the Reproductive Rights Resource Group (RRRG) spoke on sexuality and answered questions of the female spouses. The speakers encouraged the participants to ‘come together on their own’ informally, even in small groups, to continue talking about their sexuality and share their problems and triumphs. In response to the training conducted, the participants expressed ‘having learned so much’ and ‘being glad that they have started building a support group’ with the friendships they have made during the two-day workshop. Through a post-training interview/survey, participants said their being ‘plain housewives’ has made new knowledge on women’s health inaccessible to them. Coming home after the activity, they said, would make them able to share something new even with their children. PRIMEX and ACHIEVE were assisted locally by MaSSSFA, led by its president, Ms. Elizabeth Malonzo, in organizing the event. (JFP) |
