SVST Dean initiative goes beyond support
Date Posted: July 20, 2020 at 01:32 PM
Fr. Danny Pilario, CM launched Project Solidarity with Orphans and Widows (Project SOW) with hope to establish a support system for families who have been victims of violence and extrajudicial killings in the Payatas area.
For three years, Project SOW has provided psychosocial interventions and treatments to respond to these families’ economic needs, their quest for justice, and their desire to be healed from the trauma from the unexpected death of their loved ones.
Along with the Saint Vincent de Paul School of Theology (SVST) and the whole Filipino Vincentian Conmunity, Fr. Pilario and his co-organizers hope that through the said program, the victims may cope with the challenges brought by their situation.
But amid the coronavirus pandemic, the beneficiaries, mostly mothers, of Project SOW have slowly transformed from victims to a support system who have their contributions in the fight against CoViD-19.
In partnership with the Angat Buhay program, Project SOW beneficiaries have become makers of locally-produced Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) used by medical frontliners as shileds against infection.
"Ang mga nanay na ito, three years ago, nakikita nating biktima sila—biktima ng dahas ng pulis na bigla-bigla na lang pumasok sa kanilang mga pamamahay. Pinatay ang kanilang mga anak, ang kanilang mga asawa. Pero ngayon, hindi na sila biktima. Sila na mismo ang sa tingin namin ay frontliner dahil lumabas sila sa kanilang bahay; pumupunta sila, nananahi sa shop para makatulong sa iba,” the Dean of SVST said of the development.
[Three years ago, these mothers were seen as victims of violence— police who invaded their homes and killed their child or their husbands. But today, they are not victims anymore. In our eyes, they have also become frontliners because they work outside of their residence, sewing face masks for others,” the Dean of the SVST said of the development.]
“Malaking pagpalit ng perspektibo iyan sa mga consciousness ng mga nanay: hindi lang sila passive victims na tumatanggap ng ayuda, kundi sila mismo ang nagaayuda dahil alam nila na itong mga tinatahi nila ay para sa mga doktor na mismong nagtatrabaho sa frontlines.”
[“This is a huge change of perspective for these mothers: they are not passive victims who wait for help but are self-supporting because they know what they sew are for our medical frontliners.”]
Fr. Pilario also lauded the positive mindset the program has given to the mothers under Program SOW.
“Para sa akin, iyong question ng pagpalit ng consciousness nila ay napakahalaga. Parang na-empower sila; na ngayon, sila ay hindi lang biktima. Sila ay mismo tumutulong na rin.”
[“For me, the change in consciousness and perspective is crucial. They are empowered. They are not merely victims but also partners.]
Reports from Office of the VP - Angat Buhay Facebook page
