Baseline Study for the Women's Rights Action Advocacy Project (WRAAP)

Agafer Creatives, together with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), developed the Baseline Study on Women's Rights Organizations and the Women's Rights Action and Advocacy Project (WRAAP) Women's Fund Facility Standard Operating Procedures Manual.

The engagement assessed the needs and the nature of the projects and initiatives of 27 Women's Rights Organizations across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao through the administration of surveys and conduct of interviews. The Baseline Study also captured the type and extent of support that these organizations need from the government and the private sector in order to carry out their mandates.

Notable results of the study are as follows:

1. The leading services offered by Women's Rights Organizations are advocacy, capacity building, and project management. These three service categories are also the core work and services needed to advance the issues of the women sector.

2. Women's Rights Organizations commonly support and campaign for causes revolving around gender-based violence, violence against women and children (VAWC), violence against women and girls, and women's economic rights. Other related themes advocated for by these types of organizations are related to income generation such as livelihood, skills training, and credit and microfinance.

3. One of the most pressing challenges faced by Women's Rights Organizations is the lack of financial resources, followed by the lack of human and physical resources.

   • Financial - This is an expected challenge as the types of programs and projects implemented by the WROs are usually program/project-specific and short-term. To address this challenge, innovative funding strategies must be put in place. Specifically, permanent sources of funding like government allocations, should be secured.

   • Human - Smaller and newer organizations can be provided with needs-specific training to further build their knowledge and capacities.

   • Physical - The project may include the development of sustainability plans encompassing asset building of the network or organization to ensure that ample resources allotted for their respective operations.