JANESSA TEKING – Teach Peace Build Peace Movement

#WOMENFORPEACE: Janessa Tek-ing

Tell us something about yourself.

I’m Nessa, a storyteller, and writer at heart. I am passionate about weaving my love for storytelling and technology with advocacy. I use my voice and my words to tell stories that inspire people to act and give back. I have been a TPBPM volunteer since 2013 (when it started!).

Tell us about your role in TPBPM.

I’m a communications consultant to TPBPM since 2013 and in my role, I help the organization with their communications needs to the best of my ability. I also volunteer in some activities —whether as a mentor or a writer — whenever I can.

What are the highlights of your experience with TPBPM?

I believe every moment with TPBPM is a story worth remembering in itself. But if I were to choose only one experience, it would be the Artist for Peace Mentoring Workshop which we held in Lanao Del Sur. I love it because I got the opportunity to listen to the stories of kids from Mindanao: their stories of resilience and strength, as well as their dreams and aspirations. It touched me so much because it made me realize (as with all TPBPM activities!) how lucky I am in life and how much more work we need to do. Children in conflict areas have so much potential, they just need to be in a nurturing, peaceful environment and that’s the part we’re helping to build with our advocacy.

What have you learned from TPBPM that you have applied in your life?

I will always remember this: peace starts within us. So, I consciously made it my own personal mission to constantly do the inner work because I cannot share peace if I don’t have it within me. I believe that’s what we’re also trying to share through our advocacy in TPBPM: that for peace to be truly attainable, we all have to get rid of our personal biases towards people, places, and circumstances.

What’s your advice for young women who wants to advocate for peace?

Start with yourself. Any advocacy starts with a small gesture because if you strive for a much bigger step right away, you might end up not taking any action at all. What do you have that you can share with others? Because that gift was given to you for a reason. I remember my peace advocacy started when I was in college, a time when I missed volunteering so much. I told myself, “You’re good at public speaking and writing. Maybe you can do something with that.” So I offered myself and looked for organizations I can support: first with PeaceTech (as a youth ambassador) then with TPBPM (as a comms consultant and writer). I’ve been advocating for peace since then. But, the work doesn’t stop there—you also have to be a constant role model. If you’re trying to advocate for something, you have to walk the talk. So, I’ve been trying my best to live mindfully and really, just be authentic with who I am and how I deal with others.

Peace is looking at the world around you and seeing the good that surrounds it. It’s living your life in the present, offering yourself mindfully to others and being aware of who you are and what the world needs from you.
Janessa Tek-ing

March 1, 2022 / by JANESSA TEKING

Peace Gifts Project: A Teacher’s Wish Series (Hanina Bayao Sampulna-Kamsa, Mosaiden D. Abdul, and Hazarah K. Macapintal)

Every week, we want to give you a glimpse of what our I TEACH PEACE Champions from our Kapatiran Schools and Communities face as teachers in the middle of a pandemic. We hope that you find inspiration in these teachers’ resilience.

Nelson Mandela once said, “It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.”

Clearly, education is a family’s way out of poverty. But it is also poverty that prevents children from realizing their full potential. As if poverty is not enough, the current pandemic is making it harder for students of Hadjik Salik Kalaing Elementary School in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. According to teachers Hanina Bayao Sampulna-Kamsa, Mosaiden D. Abdul, and Hazarah K. Macapintal, most of the families in their community do not have a steady source of income. So, providing for their children’s needs for distance learning is only secondary to providing food on the table.

“Pahirapan sa pagsakay ang mga guro at mga magulang dahil doble ang pamasahe at malayo sa working station ang ibang guro. Expensive ang modular learning dahil sa dami ng bond paper na nagagamit, at kailangan din ang load para makapagcommunicate ang teacher sa mga magulang [The fare to meet some teachers in their working stations is expensive. The modular learning materials are also expensive because of the amount of bond papers we need. Teachers also need cellphone load to communicate with the parents.],” they shared.

But just because it’s hard doesn’t mean they have to give up. While teachers like them are busy preparing modules and lectures, they’re also busy convincing parents to not let the pandemic discourage them from educating their child.

Just like what Mandela had taught us, Teachers Hanina, Mosaiden, and Hazarah believe that education will determine our future. “Ang edukasyon ay ang tanging kayamanan pwedeng maipamana ng magulang sa kanilang mga anak na hinding-hindi mananakaw ninuman [Education is the only form of wealth which can never be taken away],” they said.

Their only wish is for this pandemic to be over. But while it’s still here, they know that there is a job to be done. And they hope that while fulfilling their duty, they’ll be protected from COVID-19 and the children from their community will still get the quality education they deserve.

Hadjik Salik Kalaing Elementary is one of TPBPM’s Kapatiran Schools that is part of our ongoing Peace Gifts Project which aims to provide schools with equipment and materials for printing modules such as printer and copier, printer ink, and bond papers. For those who wish to donate, please send your donations to:

Bank of the Philippine Islands
Teach Peace Build Peace Movement Inc.
Account Number: 9601000528
Swift Code: BOPIPHMM

Be part of our Kapatiran Support Circle. And together as brothers and sisters, we can help our peace hero children.

November 17, 2020 / by JANESSA TEKING

Peace Gifts Project: A Teacher’s Wish Series- Teacher Jamaliah

Every week, we want to give you a glimpse of what our I Teach Peace Champions from our Kapatiran Schools and Communities face as teachers in the middle of a pandemic. We hope that you find inspiration in these teachers’ resilience.

“Sana mawala na agad ang COVID-19 kasi bawat aspeto ng buhay ng tao ay may epekto ito. Sana lang ang manatiling matatag ang lahat at hindi makalimot sa pagdarasal. Para naman sa edukasyon sa aming lugar, sana po talaga walang batang mapag-iwanan sa new normal na ito.” (“I hope that COVID-19 goes away because everyone’s life is affected by it. I hope that we remain strong and we don’t forget to pray. I hope that no child will be left behind in this new normal.”)

This is the wish of Teacher Jamalia Saruang, from Camp Bagong Amai Pakpak Elementary School (CBAPES) in Marawi. With the transition to distance learning, many teachers like her find themselves navigating an unchartered territory and hoping for the best case scenario to happen: for COVID-19 to end.

The threat to the teachers’ health and safety isn’t the only challenge, the country’s online distance learning modality is faced with other obstacles: limited to no internet connection, lack of resources such as printers and bond papers used to produce the students’ modules, and a conducive learning environment for children.

While the role of parents is just as important, schools in Mindanao like CBAPES are also doing its best to make up for the lack. Safety precautions are in place to protect the teachers as they produce and distribute modules. The school set up orientations to educate parents on how to use the modules and how to support their children.

“Hindi po lahat ng mga mag-aaral namin ay mayroong cellphone. Pero po, parang ang hirap po kasi magturo na hindi mo kaharap ang mga bata. Bilang isang guro, kung kaharap po namin ang mga mag-aaral ay mas nasusubaybayan po namin sila,” shares Teacher Jamalia. (“Not all students have phones. But, it can be difficult to teach kids if you’re not with them. As a teacher, we guide students better if we’re with them.”)

For Teacher Jamalia, the teachers can gauge a student’s learning ability better when it is in a classroom setup. This is important to ensure that the children improve as they progress in school. But in the middle of a pandemic, a peace champion like her has to make the most out of the situation. So, she does.

She hopes that the country will one day have free Wi-Fi everywhere, for every student to have their own gadget for learning, and for all teachers to be equipped with free laptops. Though she thinks, this may seem like a far-fetched dream.

So, she settles for what she knows can be achieved at this time: enough supplies of bond papers for printing their modules and tools to help them in creating their video lectures — a simple ask indeed, but one that may change the course of our future generation.

CBAPES is one of TPBPM’s Kapatiran Schools that is part of our ongoing Peace Gifts Project which aims to provide schools with equipment and materials for printing modules such as printer and copier, printer ink, and bond papers. For those who wish to donate, please send your donations to:

Bank of the Philippine Islands
Teach Peace Build Peace Movement Inc.
Account Number: 9601000528
Swift Code: BOPIPHMM

Be part of our Kapatiran Support Circle. And together as brothers and sisters, we can help our peace hero children.

November 3, 2020 / by JANESSA TEKING

Creating a Ripple Effect of Goodness Through Peace

For Asnia B. Salic, a teacher from Pendolonan Elementary School, Marawi City, peace creates a ripple effect of goodness. When a person has inner peace, he’s more able to share and spread goodness to others, the community, and the environment.

“Peace begins within ourselves. You cannot impose peace to anyone if you alone have no inner peace. Before you can motivate others, you must have peace within yourself,” she said.

While the recent Marawi siege brought challenges to the community, she can now say that her community has started to rebuild itself and people exist harmoniously with one another. Parents and teachers are also very supportive of the children.

As one of the participants of TEACHER LEADERS FOR PEACE: PEACE EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY (PEDJ) developed by the Teach Peace Build Peace Movement (TPBPM) for the Pathways for iCOPE Program, Asnia echoed what she learned: “I’m really glad because it’s a great opportunity to be part of this training. Now I have a clear vision of peace, peace education, and how we, as teachers, can integrate it in our curriculum.”

This was co-organized with Save the Children in partnership with Plan International and other members of the Pathways for iCOPE Program consortium to achieve a sustainable positive engagement, collaboration, and convergence of key actors and stakeholders in providing and supporting conflict-sensitive quality basic education services and protection.

She highlighted how useful the peace jargons and peace chants are in her class after observing a change in behavior of her students. “The children have become more cooperative through peace jargons and peace chants. They also fight less.”

When it comes to spreading peace, one thing is clear for Asnia: the role of parents and teachers like her as peace heroes. That’s why she loves the Peace Circle session during the training because it gives her the opportunity to release all her emotions and share, without fear of judgment, what’s happening in their school and community.

Learning more about peace taught her why starting from within is important before you can even motivate others. Whether you’re a parent or a teacher, this lesson still rings true: “You cannot give what you do not have.”

ABOUT PATHWAYS FOR ICOPE PROGRAM

Save the Children, in partnership with Plan International, is implementing a program called Pathways for Integrated and Inclusive Conflict-Sensitive Protection and Education for Children in Mindanao (iCOPE). This program aims to achieve a sustainable positive engagement, collaboration, and convergence of key actors and stakeholders in providing and supporting conflict-sensitive quality basic education services and protection.

As part of ICOPE Program, Teach Peace Build Peace Movement’s (TPBPM) Peace Heroes Formation Program (PHFP), formerly called Schools and Communities of Peace Heroes Formation Program will be introduced for the purpose of helping schools institutionalize Peace Education to nurture a Culture of Peace and Resiliency amongst children with the whole school community being involved.

August 11, 2020 / by JANESSA TEKING

Peace Starts From Within

Inculcating a culture of peace is more than just providing a community with basic necessities or educating teachers and children of its importance. It requires going back to the core of every individual: if a person is not at peace with himself or herself, he or she can never be at peace with everything around him/her.

This is Acmidah A. Bocua’s realization after undergoing through the TEACHER LEADERS FOR PEACE: PEACE EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY (PEDJ) created by the Teach Peace Build Peace Movement (TPBPM) for the purpose of nurturing a Culture of Peace and Resilience in children. This was co-organized with Save the Children in partnership with Plan International and other members of the consortium as part of Pathways for Integrated and Inclusive Conflict-Sensitive Protection and Education for Children in Mindanao (iCOPE) Program.

A teacher at Sultan Alauya Alonto Central Elementary School, Acmidah is one of the 36 teachers who was given the opportunity to participate in the program, which aims to turn teachers into agents of peace to be able to build a citizenry of peace heroes in schools.

Acmidah admitted that she wasn’t a perfect teacher. Before the program, she had a tendency to act in ways that would sometimes scare students. Now, she realized the impact of a teacher in a child’s life. “I hope I was more patient with them,” she said.

But it’s never too late.

While Acmidah’s community in Lanao Del Sur does not have a serious threat to peace and security, Acmidah still pointed out cases of discrimination in their school where some children are judged because of their gender or physical attributes. However, after learning from the program, Acmidah is determined to integrate what she learned in any way possible.

“When I came back from the seminar, I shared everything I learned with my children and students. I started integrating the concept of peace in subjects like Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao.”

Acmidah is also grateful for the opportunity to bring several peace hero children with her to the training. These kids were also taught about the importance of peace and how to incorporate peace in their everyday lives.

According to her, the students had become more aware of their actions towards others and have learned to respect other children. “They now try to teach other kids to stop bullying others,” she observed.

For a person who doesn’t like to share her problems with friends and family, Acmidah now knows the importance of starting from within, “The Formation Session taught me a lot especially when it comes to reflecting. I was able to share and express my feelings and it helped me a lot in terms of realizing what peace really is all about.”

When asked what her most important learning is from the program, Acmidah responded with a genuine smile on her face, “If you don’t have inner peace, how can you encourage your students to have inner peace? It really starts from within, especially for teachers who are supposed to be agents of peace.”

“If you don’t have inner peace, how can you encourage your students to have inner peace? It really starts from within, especially for teachers who are supposed to be agents of peace.”

ABOUT PATHWAYS FOR ICOPE PROGRAM

August 11, 2020 / by JANESSA TEKING

Weaving Words For Peace

It was the innocent look and the genuine smile on his face that will make anyone wonder, “Has this child ever experienced violence in his life?” Most people would probably think “probably not” just by looking at him and hearing him talk.

Bu Jalal Hamdanie, one of the 36 participants of the Artists for Peace Mentoring Workshop, has been through worse and he’s only 12 years old. Having fled Marawi when the siege broke out, Jalal saw dead bodies lying around. Struggling to describe the horror he witnessed, you can’t help but wonder how this child manages to remain optimistic about peace after what he’s seen and experienced. You can only admire this child’s innocence and zest for life.

To hear Jamal speak of peace will make you hopeful: if this child, someone who’s seen war firsthand, still believes in peace then, anyone of us must do so.

It wasn’t just surviving the Marawi siege that makes Jamal a true peace hero, it was also his everyday struggle to continue going to school despite scarce resources. His father, a farmer, and his mother, a housewife, struggle to make both ends meet. Jamal is also bullied in school because of his socio-economic status. “ I am bullied because I don’t have money to pay for my tuition. I don’t even have a bag. People tell me I’m poor.”

But Jamal is persistent. He acts as class president in his school and has dreams bigger than life.

Luckily, Jamal has a sibling who tirelessly helps them in their household needs. One can only hope that this child be provided with the opportunity to finish school because every child deserves a beautiful life.

As a participant to the program, Jamal promised to use his love for poetry in advocating for peace. He shared how the poetry writing session during the program helped him express himself. “You can express your problems through poetry,” he said. By weaving words, Jamal is also weaving strands of peace within himself, and that is more than enough to make him feel better.

He committed to share everything he learned to his family and schoolmates. More than that, he promised to be more loving, helpful, and cooperative. “I will start with myself,” a promise so simple yet so profound; a promise, when fulfilled, can have an immense impact in Jamal’s community.

The Artists for Peace Mentoring Workshop was created by Teach Peace Build Peace Movement (TPBPM) for the Pathways for iCOPE Program. This was co-organized with Save the Children in partnership with Plan International and other members of the Pathways for iCOPE Program consortium to achieve a sustainable positive engagement, collaboration and convergence of key actors and stakeholders in providing and supporting conflict-sensitive quality basic education services and protection.

June 4, 2019 / by JANESSA TEKING

When Art Meets Peace

What happens when art and peace intersect at one point? They form a more beautiful way to look at the world.

For Mojib Ampuan Launte, a student from Sultan Alauya Elementary School and a participant at the recently held Artists for Peace Mentoring Workshop, a visual arts session inspired him more to become a peace hero.

With neglected buildings as a common sight back in his hometown at Buadi Oloc, Ditsaan-Ramain, Lanao Del Sur, he hopes to restore them back to beauty by painting a big “I Am a Peace Hero” sign.

When asked what peace is for him, he shared, “It’s a way for people to see goodness.” And for a creative person like him, “Art is a good way to do it.”

Through the different creative sessions during the program, Mojib realized that peace is not the absence of war. Rather, it’s a way of life, and he sees it as a more beautiful concept now that he has learned more about it.

As he and his fellow participants embarked on their journey back home, he promised to help and respect others, knowing that by doing so, he’s contributing to making this world a more peaceful place to live in. “I will be respectful and kind,” he committed.

The Artists for Peace Mentoring Workshop dubbed as Peace Begins with Us: Our Peace, Our Pledge to Create a Peaceful Community is a mentoring workshop to show children and young people how art can be used in advocating for peace. This was developed by Teach Peace Build Peace Movement (TPBPM) for Pathways for Integrated and Inclusive Conflict-Sensitive Protection and Education for Children in Mindanao (iCOPE) Program, co-organized with Save the Children in partnership with Plan International and other members of the consortium.

ABOUT ARTISTS FOR PEACE MENTORING WORKSHOP

The workshop was attended by a very diverse group, coming from different faiths and ages with various talents coming together to collaborate on how art can be a medium in advocating for peace. The mentees will be taught on how they can use art in creating awareness about how having peace with oneself can contribute to peace with others and how our peaceful thoughts and actions can create a ripple effect to having peaceful communities. The mentees shall undergo sessions that will also make them reflect on what sparks peace and joy to them, and what they can do to help create a peaceful community. Other group activities also promote social skills with an emphasis on the importance of peaceful co-existence and how everyone can be ‘peace heroes’ in their own ways.

ABOUT PATHWAYS FOR ICOPE PROGRAM:

April 12, 2019 / by JANESSA TEKING

Learning to Speak the Language of Peace

“Back then, I would lie about cleaning in school. I would tell my teachers and classmates that I was done cleaning already even if I wasn’t. Now I can promise that I will apply everything I learned here and correct all my mistakes from the past,” shared Shahanie Usman, a student from Matampay Elementary School, one of the 36 participants at the Artists for Peace Mentoring Workshop. “The Artists for Peace Mentoring Workshop dubbed as Peace Begins with Us: Our Peace, Our Pledge to Create a Peaceful Community provides a creative venue and dialogue where children and youth shall experience a platform of exchange, sharing of stories and a reflection and expression of their desire for peace, in the midst of issues they have been facing in their lives,” as shared by the Teach Peace Build Peace Movement (TPBPM) Founder, Bai Rohaniza Sumndad-Usman. “This is a mentoring workshop to show children and young people how art can be used in advocating for peace,” she added.

Such is the impact of peace education to her: a young child from Marawi City vowing to become a better person in her own little ways. As a participant of the program, Shahanie felt that she could contribute in creating a more peaceful Mindanao by starting in her community and at her school. Citing rido and men’s disrespect for women as issues she commonly observes back home, Shahanie underlined the importance of knowing how to communicate in a peaceful way.

Her most important learning? “Respect other people.” Because for her, peace can be attained by not contributing to conflict. “Avoid it or help find ways to resolve it,” she said.

Shahanie also shared that through the program, she and her fellow participants have learned to become charismatic servant leaders. She felt the need to spread what she learned starting with communicating using the language of peace.

“When someone asks me if he can borrow my phone, I will not tell him I don’t have one. Instead, I will say, ‘I will help you find one’.” This is just one of her practical examples of how she will communicate with a peaceful intention.

Although she felt sad that the program has finally come to a close, she was grateful to have the opportunity to meet new friends and learn more about peace. “Peace education is very important for me because I learned a lot from here, which I will bring with me even when I’m done with school,” she promised.

ABOUT PATHWAYS FOR ICOPE PROGRAM

April 12, 2019 / by JANESSA TEKING

Author: JANESSA TEKING

#WOMENFORPEACE: Janessa Tek-ing

Peace Gifts Project: A Teacher’s Wish Series (Hanina Bayao Sampulna-Kamsa, Mosaiden D. Abdul, and Hazarah K. Macapintal)

Peace Gifts Project: A Teacher’s Wish Series- Teacher Jamaliah

Creating a Ripple Effect of Goodness Through Peace

Peace Starts From Within

Weaving Words For Peace

When Art Meets Peace

Learning to Speak the Language of Peace

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