Unseen Faces, Unheard Voices

How does one conduct an in-depth interview without becoming emotionally moved by the powerful narrative unfolding before him/her? One must be a rock or an automaton to remain unaffected. I am all flesh, unfortunately. I try practicing being present, breathing and channeling love towards my interviewee throughout the process. I hope to make them understand that I am trustworthy and will handle their story with care and love. Yeah, is using love for research purposes a valid academic practice? Enter feminism. It is undeniable that, consciousness raising affects both the interviewer and the interviewee. I can think of three valid scenarios where this can be proven. Acknowledgement of reality Women's lives are real, acknowledging that she lived in a rural community, had children, laboured in a plantation and raised her family is reality, as far as I am concerned. It is also but one experience which contributes to a larger narrative. When she tells her-story, she re-creates her ...

I am on a much needed holiday! I am exploring Davao and its wonders! I am not far away from work but I just needed to celebrate 50 household interviews in difficult circumstances. I also need the down time to work on my FGDs. I need to develop a kick ass framework that weaves into the workshop and empowerment activities must be suitable for their situation. I also need to give the heads up to both cooperatives on when I intend to carry out the FGDs. I am very certain that it will go well.

The knowledge of running a household is something that is often taken for granted. Since it is women's work it can't be rocket science, can it? Well, it is. Women run households with such exacting details because they work with very limited resources. One of the respondents today, exemplified this quality. She could tell me exactly how much detergent is required for 1 day's laundry and where to get the best bargain for it. She also could compare prices in the co-op store in Kenram to prices in most shops in Isulan. This is a video of Erlida Octavia who describes the cost of detergent and where she purchases it.  See her video here -  Erlida's Laundry Costs

I attended a course on implementing Participatory Capability and Vulnerability Assessment (PCVA) for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climatic Change Adaptation (CCA) from 17 to 21 September 2012. It was organized by OXFAM Mindanao with a few other local NGOs.  Despite, my busy schedule I accepted this opportunity to learn and fine tune my methods for the research that I am conducting. The framework of my research is based on participatory methods informed by feminist analysis. The methods which were introduced were not very different to the ideas which I already had, however the opportunity to incorporate feminist analysis in the process was really valuable.  Barangay Lasak, Columbio This barangay (village) is one of the barangay's in Columbio district with a total land area of 2, 676 hectares of which 2, 080 (77.73%)  is agricultural. The community is largely involved in farming with corn being its substantial produce. It was also the barangay selecte...

L One of the respondents I interviewed was a 50 year old woman in a polygamous marriage. Her husband, S has 4 wives including her. She is the first wife who is registered as a legal spouse under the Shariah Law. She was married to S at the age of 15. She has 8 children by him. Her husband's second wife lives in the home lot provided him. Both wives live within a 1 metre proximity of each other. The second wife has 4 children by S. The third wife is not on amicable terms with L so she hardly spoke about this woman. All three wives' of S live in the same barangay. The fourth wife is rumoured to be in General Santos a city about 60 kms away from Mapantig. L was informed of this marriage by a close relative.  Male Privilege S earns P 6,000.00 as an assistant to a harvester. His job is to assist harvesters to lug the transfer the fresh fruit bunches to pick up points. This could mean he carries an average of 30 - 60 fresh fruit bunches. Each bunch can weigh up to 50 k...

Deep well pump in Mapantig On the surface, no one spoke about the fact that drinking water was a problem. The respondents who could afford it purchased drinking water at P 40 per 5 gallon per week. At first, I overlooked it because I thought it was a norm. Then I realized some were fanatical about purchasing drinking water when more started talking about it. The loose fruit pickers however obtain drinking water from the deep well. It was only during Doris Blanco's interview that Zenia spoke about the contamination of ground water sources. The increase of septic tanks in the barangay has resulted in the contamination of ground water. Some have electronic pumps which purified water for consumption in their homes however they are not the majority. There had been a proposal to build a water treatment plant to supply water but it fell through due to lack of finances. Out of the 24 interviewed nearly half obtained drinking water from the deep well. Some may not even b...

I have come to the tail end of the household surveys in Mapantig-Kenram. It was a physically exhausting but an extremely rewarding. Listening to women's stories, observing their courageous faces, marveling their strength and fortitude and understanding their lives really made me feel privileged. I thank the universe which made this dream possible. I attest to the strength and beauty of women in this world, without whom it would cease to exist.  I had an able and reliable friend who patiently held my hand throughout the interviews. She was patient, attentive and involved. I respect her humbleness and ability to include me effectively in the process. I would not have been able to complete this without Zen's steady hands and kind treatment. I learnt a lot from her and developed mutual respect for her local knowledge and passion to serve her community.  Zenia in orange top Benevolent dictators and tyrants  Yesterday was a particularly interesti...