With the grant from Martín-Baró Fund, RMP-NMR completed the project entitled, Small Voices from the Hinterlands: Unleashing Children’s Cultural Expressions which brought healing to those affected by the militarization in Pantaron Range of Mindanao, Philippines.

This project reinforced the psychosocial “first aid” given to child victims of militarization through the 2010 project, Healing the Hurt:

• By assisting the mental health recuperation of 126 children from indigenous communities of Pantaron Range and involving them in BITAW (Basic Integrated Theatre Arts Workshop) as an artistic means to heal traumatic experiences; and
• By establishing community theatre groups—dubbed as Teatro Pantaron that held community theatre arts presentations and a joint gala presentation attended by communities victimized by militarization and displacement.

This year, RMP’s goal is to integrate BITAW in the curriculum of 16 indigenous schools that they have established for children. A grant from the Martín-Baró Fund will assist RMP in training the para-teachers and hosting workshops for school staff to strategize the implementation of BITAW.