The US has sustained interests in the Philippines, first through decades of occupation in the first half of the 20th century and since then through economic and military interests. These include agri-corporations, mining firms, and policies and practices that contribute to the extreme poverty in which 90% of the Filipino people live today.

Therefore, the Martin-Baró Fund will support the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines in its efforts to respond to some of these realities through the development of a Healing the Hurt project. This project seeks to: (a) create a psychosocial team that will involve grassroots organizations in responding to human rights violation-related mental health issues; (b) launch advocacy and networking activities that will lead to the creation of support groups for the psychosocial needs of rural, poor human rights defenders under attack, their immediate families and communities, and women and children victims of militarization and displacement; and (c) provide psychosocial services with a particular focus on individual human rights defenders under attack, including their immediate families, and hold psychosocial missions in communities wreaked by militarization, war, and displacement that will primarily benefit women and children.

In 2009, political violence under NISP made its presence known in Northern Mindanao. Undeniably, attacks against human rights defenders and militarization of rural areas inflict much trauma to the citizens. Victims of human rights violations experience mental health concerns directly related to torture, mistreatment, and displacements. Issues relating to mental health not only affect the individual, but families and communities as well. In the rural areas where impunity is at its highest, survivors are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

RMP-NMR’s Healing The Hurt project seeks to (a) create a psychosocial team that will involve grassroots organizations to readily and regularly respond to bourgeoning cases of human rights violation-related mental issues; (b) launch advocacy and networking activities that will lead to creation of support groups for the psychosocial needs of rural poor human rights defenders under attack, their immediate families and communities, especially women and children victims of militarization and displacement; and (c) provide psychosocial services to the target beneficiaries mentioned. The project seeks to regularize the patchy provision of psychosocial services to the affected individuals and areas.