Quota International of Manila, The Philippines
Empowering Women through Livelihood and Skills Training

Quota International of Manila celebrated 30 years of service with a series of successful programs for local women last year, beginning with an advocacy program called "Moving Forward: Women Surviving Violence." Fifty-nine participants, all survivors of domestic violence or still in violent relationships, gained skills and knowledge to build healthier, happier lives. In addition to an address about human rights and domestic violence by attorney and Quotarian Barbara Ann Migalios (who provided follow-up legal counseling to attendees), the event included workshops run by Kalaskan, an organization that works with women who are victims of domestic violence.

Quotarians in Manila also provided women with the skills to support themselves and their families through their vocational training workshops. Their first, Ganda Mo Hanapbuhay Ko ("Your Beauty Is Our Livelihood), was a five-day course in basic cosmetology; the second, a course in therapeutic massage and natural healing. The courses concluded with a graduation day where women offered their services free of charge to the community and received starter kits so they could begin their own businesses. Both were so successful that the club held the workshops a second time and also added a third offering: more than 40 women attended a workshop on meat processing, where they also learned packaging and marketing skills. In total, these programs reached 200 women in various communities, but their impact will be far greater as the women's income allows them to provide basic needs and pay school fees for the children in their immediate and extended families.

• To read about the Manila club's 2007-2009 Club-to-Club project, click here.

• If you wish to donate to this project, please click here.
  
  
• To learn more about the Philippines, click here.
  
  
• To return to the Club-to-Club World Service page,
  click here.