Brittany, 15 years old, a child supported at the Preda Home for Girls, was recently elected as the Child Representative of the municipality of Subic, Zambales, with a population of 111,000 people where about 30 percent are children. Being a child representative means Brittany will have a seat in the Local Council for the Protection and Children and the Local Development Council, which are governance mechanisms for people’s participation as mandated by law. She is hoping to carry her advocacy on child protection in these bodies so that more resources will be devoted to children and youth welfare.

 

As a child representative, Brittany envisions a community where children’s rights are respected, upheld and promoted. She topped the election done together with about 10 child-oriented groups gathered together from all over Subic municipality in support of the 18-day campaign to end violence against women. In her speech before her election, she emphasized that she is the right fit for the position because of her resilience after going through a difficult life circumstance, her determination to succeed and conviction to fight for her rights and go after her abuser. She also emphasized that prevention efforts should be strengthened so that no other child will go through the same difficult experience as she did.

 

Brittany, together with 70 other girls, are currently receiving various services at the Preda Therapeutic Home for Girls. This project is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Grant Agreement No. CTIP-GA-2020-L002 between Preda Foundation and the Partnership for Development Assistance in the Philippines (PDAP).