Empowerment Workshop for Seafarers' Wives

A two-day workshop on empowering the seafarers' wives was conducted on May 22 and 23, 2004 at ISAC Office at Room 601 Fil Garcia Tower, 144 Kalayaan Avenue corner Mayaman St., Diliman, Quezon City. Thru the workshop, we honor and empower some 30 women who are primarily concerned about the growth,
stability and success of overseas Filipino seafarers. They are the legitimate wives of Filipino seafarers who experience social injustice, loss of life, physical injuries, illness, mental and emotional abuse,etc. on board foreign vessels.

Funded by the "DIS Solidarity Fund Without Borders" and Pilipinas Shell and Petroleum Co., this training is an opportunity for the seafarer's wife to encounter her SELF and other significant individuals in her life. Hopefully, the workshop will promote awareness, recognition, understanding, acceptance and appreciation of  the self, reinforcing her own growth, actualization and development, i.e. the ability for the wife to achieve an integrated mind, body & emotion for personal effectiveness and empowerment. A seafarer's wife experiences many challenging crises in her life. What is unique in her situation is the distance between her husband and herself. The wife is usually left alone with her children,  playing "solo" parent. This role challenges her immensely not only to face her household concerns, traditional caring and family responsibilities such as the education, health and well-being of the children and the handling of family
finances and investments but also to deal strongly with the critical stages of life such as birth and the death of her closed and immediate family members.

                                        Rationale

A seafarer's wife experiences many challenging crises in her life. What is unique in her situation is the distance between her husband and herself. The wife is usually left alone with her children, playing "solo" parent. This role challenges her immensely not only  to face her household concerns, traditional caring and family
responsibilities such as the education, health and well-being of  the children and the handling of family finances and investments but also to deal strongly with the critical stages of life such as birth and the death.

The two-day workshop on Empowerment was an opportunity for the seafarer's wife to encounter her  SELF and with other significant individuals in her life. Hopefully, the workshop will promote awareness, recognition, understanding, acceptance and appreciation of the self, reinforcing her own growth, actualization  and development, i.e the ability for the wife to achieve an  integrated mind, body & emotion  for personal effectiveness and empowerment.