In her closing message during the Women Summit: Stories of Healing, Organizing, Participation, and Empowerment (HOPE), Plan International Deputy Country Director Cathy Seco stressed that a big part of the project's success was the partnership between them and the community solidarity groups (CSGs).
"The project may have provided grants and capability-building activities that you all participated in, but we will not become what we are today, we will not be able to achieve what we have achieved and showcased today if you did not cooperate and participated in the process," she told CSG leaders.
Seco expressed high hopes that even as the project closes, the CSGs will remain intact and stays stronger than ever.
"We hope that you continue to pursue influencing other women and other actors to become victors and not victims, but victors and bearers of hope and solidarity," she further said.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Country Director urged local leaders and other actors to sustain the initiative seeing the positive impact that it has brought to the lives of displaced families and their communities.
"We encourage and challenge our community leaders and local authorities to continue the journey that we have started...and we hope that they [CSGs] will sustain what they have started and continue to cooperate and emerge more victorious and stronger," she stated.
On the part of Plan International, Seco conveyed that they will use the lessons and inspirations drawn from the MRP to explore and encourage donors to expand what they started in Marawi.
Aiming to improve the economic conditions among displaced persons and their host communities in Marawi and neighboring areas, the MRP is implemented by Plan International Philippines in partnership with Ecosystems Work for Essential Benefits (ECOWEB) and the Maranao People Development Center, Inc. (MARADECA).
It was funded by the United States Agency for International Development. (APB/PIA-10/Lanao del Sur)
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