In the context of 21st century globalization, economic policy in the Philippines has been directed at establishing the country as the next, newly industrialized economy in Asia. As a result, workers and peasants, in particular women workers, face high rates of unemployment, displacement from agricultural self sufficiency, and increased stress in the workplace including sexual abuse – in addition to continuing counterinsurgency warfare. In the Iligan area workers have been caught in the fighting between government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

As a past recipient of support from the Martín-Baró Fund (1995), the Balay group continues to provide psychological and social support to women and children struggling to survive these economic and military pressures. This grant will enable the Center to develop an educational module to promote mental health via workshops about mental health, training sessions on stress management techniques, individual counseling sessions and, most significantly, strategies for creating lasting support systems among those in need. As in the past, women and children will be the focus of this work.