Why? Because the essence of gender sensitivity is not about who has power or authority. It refers to acknowledging the presence of the other, and understanding and respecting their choices and situations.

Susan is a barangay health worker from Kilometer 9 Diatagon, Surigao del Sur. She is an indigenous person, and one of the women peacekeepers of WePeace. Of the diverse topics discussed in the training in April, Susan notes that one important realization she has taken home is how gender sensitivity can reshape our everyday lives. “When my grandson cries, I will no longer tell him that a boy who cries is gay,” she explains.

Courage and confidence. These are the words you hear from the Women peacekeepers from Tabuk City, Kalinga when asked what change they saw in themselves after the WePeace training in May.

Community women from five barangays in Aleosan—Tapodoc, Dunguan, San Mateo, Bagolibas, and Pagangan, have been constantly engaged in monitoring documenting conflict situations as a budding Women’s Peacekeeping Group.