A Significant Gathering:

Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending the “Commitment Day Against Trafficking in Persons." The event drew a host of significant political and civic figures from the Philippines and partnering nations as well as humanitarian, religious and academic groups to reaffirm and celebrate their commitment to end Human Trafficking and Exploitation of persons in the Philippines. Everything about this gathering excited me. It excited me not only because I care deeply about the fight against human trafficking and exploitation, but also because there were few people at this gathering whose job I did not want. Namely, the jobs of the Ambassador of the United States to the Philippines and absolutely ANYONE from the US Agency for International Development.

I was there in behalf of APNTS and in support of the school and Nazarene Compassionate Ministries which have both played some big roles in programs for trafficking awareness and prevention. While there, Dr Donahue gave the school's official pledge to aid in empowering vulnerable communities through alternative learning, values formation and vocational, life skills and computer training.

I truly enjoyed to see the great amount multi-sector collaboration that had gone into this event. Religious Groups, Academic Instituions, the Department of Justice, and even MTV. The crowd was incredibly diverse, but incredibly unified in their passion and support for the work against trafficking and exploitation.

It was fascinating to see how each group played it's own unique role. I remember one group, called "HapPinoy", who teaches with rural Sari-Sari Store* owners in Philippine villages about the dynamics of Human Trafficking. Why Sari-Sari store owners, you ask? Because, anyone who has ever lived in a filipino community knows that the local Sari-Sari Store is the hub for all of the community's gossip. Seriously, if you need to know anything about ANYONE, at all, at any time, ever, in a filipino community, just ask the local Sari-Sari store owner. They are the eyes and ears of every barangay. HapPinoy works to teach these shopkeepers about the system of trafficking and what signs to look for. Its an immediate grassroots, community of informants, operating in the rural, hard-to-reach places, where eyes and ears are needed most.

This was an encouraging day. It gave me new ideas, questions and made me want to do much more in this line of work.

That brings me to tomorrow. I will be going to Antipolo to the "Center of Hope" to talk with the director of a center that deals with girls that have been rescued from trafficking and exploitation.

(* A Sari-Sari Store is like a Small, rugged convenient store--sometimes even a stand--which is found on nearly every street corner in the Philippines.)