Since
the launch
of Safe Kids Philippines (SKP) in April 2004, 5 coalitions have already
been
organized in
Pasay,
Paranaque,
Cebu, Olongapo and
Quezon cities.
These
coalitions have become essential in the
various activities of Safe Kids Philippines.
Pasay
Coalition
Pasay City
was the pilot area of Safe Kids Philippines.In
2004, through a Safe Kids Worldwide (SKW) grant to Community Oriented
Medical
Education of the University of the Philippines
in Manila
(UP-COME), the Barangay Health Workers (BHW) Federation of Pasay City conducted a
community assessment on injury
risks in the home. The work resulted in a paper that was to
kick-start
the formalizing of Safe Kids Philippines
as a
legally-registered NGO.
From
then on, Pasay City
has been in the forefront of
various SKP activities and events. Classroom teachings in 10
schools
started in 2005. The
First National Safe
Kids Week that year was celebrated in P. Zamora Elementary School
launching the
active participation and endorsement of the Department of Education in Pasay City.
At
present, Pasay Coalition is
already conducting classroom teachings in 18 schools. It has remained
an active
partner of Safe Kids Philippines in recruiting more volunteers and
partners in
advocating the prevention of childhood injuries.
Parañaque
Coalition
Parañaque
City
is the first expansion area of Safe Kids Philippines after Pasay
City.
Through Feed the Children Philippines, volunteers from the Parañaque
Development Workers Organization were organized to lead the Parañaque
City
Coalition. The
Walk this Way Program
started in 2005 with classroom teaching activities in 15 public
elementary
schools is now in all 21 public elementary schools.
Pilot testing of the Home Safety Program was
also done in 2007.
The first Philippine celebration of
International Walk to
School Day in October 4, 2005 was held in the office of the Division
Superintendent of the Paranaque City Department of Education. Representatives from 15
schools were invited
to an essay writing contest bringing road safety into the consciousness
of the Paranaque
children. Since
then, the Parañaque City Coalition has
joined in all Safe Kids Events -- National Safe Kids Week celebrations
every
third week of June, International Walk to School Day in October and the
first
UN Global Road Safety Week in April 2007.
Olongapo
Coalition
Proud to be part of the corporate
effort of FedEx to keep
kids safe on the road, volunteers for the Olongapo City Coalition is
composed
mostly of FedEx employees from the Subic FedEx Hub. Gung-ho and upbeat,
these
employees gave up part of their sleeping hours to address the need to
disseminate to kids lessons on road safety through classroom teachings
and
interactive sessions in all 25 Olongapo City public elementary schools.
Upon special request, the volunteers
heeded the call of four
private schools in Olongapo City to
also conduct the
Walk This Way teaching modules there.
Supportive
to the cause of keeping children safe, the
Department of Education and the local government unit of Olongapo
City
participated in all events held in the city.
Crosswalk painting events, interschool contests, and
recognition events
were very well attended occasions with Mayor Bong Gordon and top city
officials
making themselves available for the celebrations.
Cebu
Coalition
The
fourth coalition of Safe Kids Philippines started in Cebu
City
with the launch of the Walk This Way Program in 2006.
The affair was graced by the first lady of Cebu City,
Mdm Margot Osmeña, who is also the chair of SKP’s partner NGO in Cebu, the Cebu Task Force for
Street Children
(CCTF). CCTF
organized volunteers to
train and conduct the Walk This Way Program to start with.
For 2007’s
International Walk to School Day (IWTSD), the
Cebu City Coalition won the first and second prizes of the Essay
Writing
contest. The grand
prize was P10,000.00
and second prize was P8,000.00.
The Philippine
Ambulatory Pediatrics Association (PAPA) is
an active partner of Safe Kids Philippines in Cebu.
They have been very supportive of the activities and events of Safe
Kids
Philippines.
The Rotary
Club is also an active partner of Safe Kids
Philippines. During the 2007 International Walk to School Day, the
Rotary Club
became one of the sponsors.
Quezon
City
Coalition
The
work in Quezon City started with walkability checks
being conducted by students from the University of the Philippines
College of
Mass Communication in 15 public elementary schools in the city in 2006
.Result
of this environmental survey as well as hospital records of the Far
Eastern
University Medical Foundation prompted Safe Kids Philippines to extend
its
program to Quezon City.
Open Heart
Foundation, an NGO working with children, was
approached to organize its volunteers to conduct Safe Kids programs in Quezon City. WTW classroom teachings
and interactive
sessions are now present in 10 public elementary schools in the city. The Quezon City Coalition
has reached out to
agencies in the local government who have wholeheartedly supported
SKP’s road
safety initiatives. Quezon City,
being the newest coalition of SKP is actively recruiting volunteers and
establishing relationships with potential partners in the prevention of
unintentional childhood injuries.
