Marawi – Teach Peace Build Peace Movement

Breaking barriers to bridge peace: The Story of the Philippine Muslim Student Association

While there are many things that one can do in building a culture of peace, the Philippine Muslim Student Association chose to begin the advocacy through understanding and compassion.

Shaping Perspectives Through the Environment

The Philippine Muslim Student Association (PHMSA) current President, Abdul Azis Malik, grew up at Sultan Dumalondong, near the training camp of the violent actor ISIS-inspired Maute group. This armed group was the one who initiated the Battle of Marawi back in 2017, which displaced thousands of civilians in Marawi City.

Because of their location, Malik saw firsthand the trauma the conflict brought to their community, especially among the children. Guns and other war paraphernalia were near the houses, and some of their relatives were recruited to fight against government forces. This incident brought government forces to roam around their area and inspect the civilians residing peacefully. He was also reclusive to his family members and was not aware of any initiatives for peacebuilding.

Due to the conflict, the unstable environment that Malik was living in made him develop a wrong impression of government forces. These experiences only reflect the impact that the surroundings can be potential recruiting grounds for younger people to join the armed conflict. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, exposure to conflict may make children more violent and more hostile to themselves and others. Because violent groups target children’s emotional, physical, and developmental vulnerabilities, it may lead to lifelong trauma and disenchanted perspective of the world.

A Better Understanding of Yourself and Others

In becoming part of the Peace Education Leadership Training Course organized by Teach Peace Build Peace Movement, PHMSA realized there are other ways for youth to be engaged in peacebuilding. Still, it would all start with nurturing your inner peace and being more compassionate to other people. Drawing from his learnings of the program, Malik realized that there are practical ways that the children and youth can contribute to building a culture of peace.

First, it is to know yourself better and acknowledge your past experiences. Malik recognized that harboring anger and sadness does not positively affect them. Instead, they should let go of these negative emotions for them to be able to move forward. They must learn to break the barriers within themselves so that they are not held back by these narratives of conflict.

Second, it is to build relationships with others through respect, understanding, and compassion. Once they have broken the barriers within themselves, they should be able to break their obstacles for other people. For Malik, it begins by developing their relationship with their family and spending more time fulfilling their responsibility as children. By building this relationship, there is trust within their home, and they can build a culture of peace in their community.

Third, find ways to connect your work with your advocacy. As the President of PMSA, he has influenced his school administration to conduct extra-curricular activities for students to be exposed to more peacebuilding initiatives. Malik linked his course on social work to peacebuilding by creating platforms within their schools where they can conduct workshops on cultivating inner peace through meditation, empowering others to start their own initiatives, and building a culture of peace among themselves.

The environment has an active influence on how an individual can see the world. These circumstances can draw up walls that prevent a better understanding of peace. By breaking these barriers, there can be opportunities to create safe spaces where the culture of peace can grow and thrive. In having these spaces, children and youth can be inspired to do good and be champions of peace.

June 12, 2023 / by Mc Jazer Malonda

A new peace journey begins..

In March 2021, the Teach Peace Build Peace Movement (TPBPM) through the Peace Heroes Formation Programme conducted interviews with teachers from different schools to gain a better understanding of the schools and communities’ peace and conflict situation in Lanao del Sur. Before the onset of the Programme, TPBPM wants to impart the stories of our Peace Educators as we begin this journey of Peace Education.

Though outside of Marawi City, Ditsaan-Ramain was one of the 20 municipalities affected by the Marawi Siege in 2017. Residents of different barangays (communities) heard the loud explosions that shocked their homes. Azcayah Sacar, 37, the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Principal of Barimbingan Central Elementary School (CES), recalls, “During the Marawi Siege, we experienced violence. Education stopped. We were not able to protect education, even our homes. We did not know where to go. There was no stability. Everything was affected, our mental, emotional, and physical health.” Conflict and violence affected Azcayah, her family, community, and her students at Barimbingan CES.

When there is no peace, different individuals experience the devastating effects of war. Alaina Ampuan, 35, a teacher from Barimbingan CES, described what they went through. She shared, “During the siege, we evacuated. When bombs were crashing to the ground near us, we felt it. We couldn’t bring anything. The explosion was only five minutes away from the school.” The conflict greatly sowed fear among the school and community members. It affected the focus of students and teachers, especially the service they render for the school community.

Alyannah Mamailao Macmod, 35, Division Office Staff at Buayaan Elementary School, added “When there is gunfire, our children cannot go to school, even the economy and lives of people in the community are affected. People feel fear, they do not have peace of mind when there is violence.”

In the current modular learning setup, they faced inner conflicts and challenges relating to the increased workloads and stress, and difficulties in contextualizing the modules, printing, releasing and distributing it to parents and students, as well as evaluating students’ performances in the new normal.

In TPBPM’s consultation with teachers in conflict-affected schools in Ditsaan-Ramain, all of them conveyed that there is a lack of training on Peace Education for teachers. They also have not participated in training on cultivating inner peace, conflict transformation, and relationship-building which are essential in coping up with today’s challenges in teaching in the new normal, and in building the resilience of communities highly vulnerable to conflict and violence. Peace Education proved to be even more relevant when interviewed teachers recalled their experiences of teaching during a pandemic. The presentation of the programme and consultation led them to the realization that there is strong hope in the possibility of cultivating change in schools and communities through Peace.

“Peace Education is important because we can achieve what we want with peace; we are in the right direction. We can also aim for quality education because we also have peace in our pupils, teachers, and community,” Monaimah Salic, 35, Principal of Rantian Elementary School shared during the consultation.

For the teachers in Lanao del Sur, Peace Education is important for children to have quality education, nurturing relationships and the resiliency to achieve their goals. A common sentiment they shared is that when there is no peace, teachers experience inner conflict, including the parents and their children. They deeply emphasized that we can only have good quality education for children if we have peace within ourselves and towards others.

Through these consultations and conversations, it has cultivated a sense of hope for schools and communities amidst trying times. While the PHFP with partner schools in Ditsaan-Ramain, Lanao del Sur is at its onset, the teachers and school leadership have already captured the need to teach Peace to schools and communities and the relevance of living Peace as a Way of Life.

May 11, 2021 / by RACQUEL CORREA

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

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.

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.

ABOUT PATHWAYS FOR ICOPE PROGRAM

April 12, 2019 / by JANESSA TEKING

Homeless but not Hopeless: A Peace Mission Reflection

Peace Mission Reflection by Glendford Lumbao

Got a chance to visit 3 evacuation centers (2 in Iligan, 1 in Lanao Del Norte) last weekend.

When we arrived at the first evacuation center, I was stunned. The population was overwhelming. As a facilitator, my task was to gather the kids, sing, clap, play with them, and teach them art, but there’s a voice inside of me saying “Mag docu nalang kaya ako” because the place was overcrowded and I personally don’t know how and where to start. Also, I’m a bit scared to start a conversation with the kids because of the language barrier; I can’t understand Maranao or Bisaya.

A few minutes later, heaven shed tears.

The sound of heavy rain hitting the metal roof echoes and we have no lapel microphones or megaphones to amplify our voices. We prepared several games for kids, unfortunately, there’s a limited space for us in the gymnasium and we can’t go out in the field because of the current weather condition. We struggled. But under any circumstances, my excuses are nothing compared to what these people went through. These people are displaced, with insufficient food, water, and clothes. These people are in pain, sadness, loneliness, or in fear. Who am I to complain about inconvenience?

So we walked inside, gathered and kids, and started our psycho-social activities. A few hours later, the sun smiles, like the smile on their faces, as they receive our gifts – a piece of Hope.

A rainbow appeared that day.On our second day, We visited another evacuation center, located at Balo-I, Lanao Del Norte (just 18km away from Marawi), and there, I met a child named Jonn Jonn, around 7 to 9 years old. Before the incident, he lives near Mindanao State University. Now he’s living in an empty field-turned-evacuation center, together with the other victims of the Marawi siege.

On our second day, We visited another evacuation center, located at Balo-I, Lanao Del Norte (just 18km away from Marawi), and there, I met a child named Jonn Jonn, around 7 to 9 years old. Before the incident, he lives near Mindanao State University. Now he’s living in an empty field-turned-evacuation center, together with the other victims of the Marawi siege.

As part of our psycho-social peacebuilding activity, we ask the kids to draw their answers to the questions we’ve prepared. There’s this one question from the module I was using; “Ano ang nagpapawala ng takot mo/nagpapalakas ng loob mo?” Jonn jonn drew himself, lying in a bed. He explained to me that whenever he’s afraid, he goes to his bed and hides under his blanket… Now, he is sleeping on a cold and concrete floor. Sack of rice as his pillow, tarpaulin as his blanket. The siege took away his refuge, his comfort zone, but definitely, not his hope.

“Gusto ko maging pulis!” Homeless but not hopeless.

After distributing stuffed toys, bracelets, peace notes, art kits, hygiene kits, and some snacks, Jonn jonn saw empty carton boxes from our van and asked for it;

“Akin nalang po, gagawin kong higaan”

When we are about to leave the center, he asked me another question; “Babalik pa kayo bukas?” “Dito nalang po kayo matulog kasi ma-mmiss namin kayo” he added. My heart, shattered.

On our last day in Iligan, we visited another evacuation center. A Madrasah – with two halls, two rooms each – the new home of 180 families (originally lives in Gimba, Marawi City). We distributed the remaining goods we had.

Our brothers and sisters affected by the siege are in need of food, clean water, shelter…and especially, prayers.

#WeAreOneWithMarawi #TeachPeaceBuildPeaceMovement #ServeThePeople

June 25, 2017 / by GLENDFORD LUMBAO

Category: Marawi

Breaking barriers to bridge peace: The Story of the Philippine Muslim Student Association

A new peace journey begins..

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

Creating a Ripple Effect of Goodness Through Peace

Peace Starts From Within

When Art Meets Peace

Learning to Speak the Language of Peace

Homeless but not Hopeless: A Peace Mission Reflection

“Gusto ko maging pulis!” Homeless but not hopeless.

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