2020 ANNUAL REPORT Extraordinary Acts in Unprecedented Times
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2020 ANNUAL REPORT Extraordinary acts in unprecedented times 2020 Annual Report 1 2 CAMELEON Association Philippines TABLE OF CONTENTS 04 Messages from the President & Executive Director 05 Highlights of Our Year 05 06 11 06 Our Story 07 Our Vision & Mission 09 Our Global Reach 10 Our Work in the Philippines 11 Rape in the Philippine Context Increase of Child Sexual Abuse in the 12 Time of Pandemic 13 Our Core Programs 15 Our Achievements in 2020 Emergency Aid Relieves Families 34 Affected by Natural Disasters 15 36 A Life Dedicated to CAMELEON 38 Our COVID-19 Response 44 Staff Development 45 Our Donors & Partners 47 Financial Overview 48 Perspectives of 2021 & Beyond 49 Accreditations & Memberships 50 How You Can Help Us 38 45 51 Our Team 2020 Annual Report 3 MESSAGES FROM THE PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Atty. Jose Cochingyan III Heide G. Foulc President/Chairman Executive Director ithout doubt, 2020 Humanitaire Luxembourg and Agence he year 2020 has proven to We also increased our capacity was a challenging and Française de Développement. Our be a trying time for us all. to accept donations by veering unprecedented year for local partners Consuelo Foundation TEven CAMELEON was not away from the traditional modes Wall of us. As we continue to face the and Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. spared from the harsh effects of the of transaction and exploring online pandemic, our work in helping the also committed to support our actions COVID-19 pandemic. payment systems and online banking most vulnerable members of our and programs. facilities. Individuals from all over the community is more crucial than ever. We faced severe damage to our world have exerted extra efforts to Together with our partners Child Rights center in Silay, Negros Occidental help us during these times, and for We increased the capacities of our Network and UNICEF, we celebrated due to flooding, lockdowns, a potential that we shall always be grateful. shelters to accommodate more the approval of the statutory rape outbreak, delayed or cancelled survivors, heal them and give them bill in the House of Representatives. projects, even loss of livelihood. More Our resiliency, as CAMELEON and hope for a better future. Our advocacy The bill seeks to increase the age alarming is the drastic increase in as Filipinos, always shines through campaigns were also ceaseless to determine statutory rape from the cases of domestic abuse and cyber the hardest of challenges. As we face despite the limitations of the pandemic; current 12 years old to 16. pornography attributed to these the uncertainty of the coming years, I online lectures and webinars were lockdowns. But through it all, we have hope we are always reminded of the organized with our youth advocates’ All these extraordinary acts in a critical endured, and we are approaching the generosity and determination of all eager participation. Meanwhile in the time made us more hopeful that no year 2021 with a renewed sense of our partners, supporters, and staff. I communities, initiatives were put into matter how dire the situation is, there hope and purpose. hope that CAMELEON continues to action to support sponsored children will always be genuine individuals, be a beacon of hope for all survivors of and their families through continuous corporations, foundations, and The past year has also provided us sexual abuse and that CAMELEON’s monitoring, and technical assistance organizations with earnest desires with an opportunity to step outside light shines through even in these for distance-learning education. to help. Looking ahead in 2021, we our comfort zones and change with dark times. are confident that these extraordinary the times. We have expanded the Great leaps were also made possible acts with relevant strategies and reach of our advocacy programs by because of our partners. commitment will lead us to the using technology and online social success we envision for CAMELEON, media platforms. What used to be We are thankful for the unwavering and most especially for the vulnerable seminars for 20 or so individuals now and continued support of our children, youth and families. accommodated a hundred or more at institutional partners: Coopération a time. 4 CAMELEON Association Philippines HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR YEAR HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR YEAR HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APPROVES STATUTORY RAPE BILL “Tita Tonya of CAMELEON,” a 5-minute video series featuring one of the advocacy staff On December 1, 2020, the House of Representatives approved on the third and final as Tita Tonya. In her videos, she shared useful tips including how the youth can stay safe reading the bill seeking to increase the age to determine statutory rape from 12 to 16 years online and a guide for parents on how to safeguard their children from the dangers of the old. 207 lawmakers voted for the House Bill 7836 while only 3 voted against it. Together internet. Tita Tonya also gave important information on child sexual abuse prevention. Tita with our partners, we celebrate this huge milestone in pushing for better laws to protect Tonya was featured in the local TV network broadcasting to the Western Visayas region. children victims of sexual abuse. The next step is for the bill to be approved in the Senate of the Philippines. CAMELEON CENTERS INCREASE SHELTER CAPACITIES In response to the increasing number of child sexual abuse cases, we have increased LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS: RAMON ABOITIZ FOUNDATION INC. the capacities of our centers to shelter and heal more girl survivors of sexual abuse in the & CONSUELO FOUNDATION Western Visayas region. From the current 26 girls in Negros Center, the capacity will be This year, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. pledged to support the healing and recovery increased to 30. While in Passi our center currently shelters 53 girls, which was previously interventions for our girl survivors of sexual abuse. The foundation previously donated the capped at 50. necessary materials to build the children’s playground in Negros Center. Meanwhile, in addition to the support they provide to the Rehabilitation Program, Consuelo Foundation CAMELEON GIRLS GIVE TRIBUTE TO THE “MODERN HEROES” also made a generous commitment to support CAMELEON’s Social Circus initiative and Advocacy Program. “Modern Heroes” is an original song by French artist Morgane Imbeaud with the lyrics written by CAMELEON girls. A tribute to the frontliners of the pandemic, the song is also a message of thanks from the children to all the heroes and heroines of modern times: the INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS CONTINUE YEARS OF COMMITMENT frontliners, the caregivers, the humanitarian workers, the volunteers, the godparents, the Our committed foreign partners are the key reasons why our programs continue to serve sponsors, and to all those who give without counting and work without expecting anything children and communities amidst the difficulties brought by COVID-19. With the untiring in return. work of CAMELEON France in tapping and coordinating with our international partners, we say our thanks to Agence Française de Développement, Ministry of Foreign and European PROGRAMS IMPLEMENT NEW INITIATIVES TO ADAPT TO THE PANDEMIC Affairs of Luxembourg, Coopération Humanitaire Luxembourg and NIF Foundation for To adapt to the changes caused by the global health crisis, we made certain changes to their support in the past years and most especially in the coming ones. the implementation of our programs and services. To name a few: previously, trainings and seminars brought together up to 50 participants. Now, participants are clustered to TITA TONYA ADVOCATES FOR ONLINE SAFETY AND CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE a maximum of 10 per session, which ensures the safety of the beneficiaries. Instead of PREVENTION personal home and school visits, sponsored children in the communities send in their Due to the prohibition of mass gatherings, the Advocacy team had to come up with updates through personal video statements. Lastly, skills and capacity trainings for the alternative ways to continue their campaigns and engage the public. The result was girls in the center are done online in lieu of the face-to-face workshops. 2020 Annual Report 5 OUR STORY OUR STORY Laurence Ligier was only 25 years old when she In 2019, CAMELEON celebrated the official inauguration saw an enormous need to help girl survivors of sexual ceremony of the third center in Silay City, Negros Occidental abuse in the Philippines. After years of travelling and together with its committed local and international partners. volunteering in the country since she was 20, she left her A milestone for Laurence and her team, as it emphasized the family and friends in France to found a non-government importance of their actions and the seriousness of their work. organization in Iloilo (Western Visayas Region) in 1997, which she named as CAMELEON Association. Laurence Ligier is a recipient of several prestigious awards: Quickly, her initiative grew and became an important actor in • Knight of the National Order of the Legion d’Honneur by the Philippines. A few years after its foundation, CAMELEON French President François Hollande Association Inc. was accredited by the Department of • Knight of the National Order of Merit by French President Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the country; Nicolas Sarkozy opened two shelters for girl survivors of sexual abuse, • Philippines Presidential Award by President Gloria organized several events gathering communities and Macapagal Arroyo developed the administrative core of the Association by LAURENCE LIGIER opening branches and partnerships in France, Switzerland, • Women of Style and Substance - People Asia Award Foundress Luxembourg, Andorra, United States and Belgium. In • Presidential Award for Civic Spirit and Devotion by CAMELEON Association Inc. 2017, CAMELEON celebrated its 20th anniversary. French President Jacques Chirac • Clarins’ Most Dynamic Woman of the Year Award TIMELINE CAMELEON Construction of Launching of Construction of 20th Anniversary Groundbreaking Ceremony Official inauguration Association Inc.