Groups move to protect kids in time of COVID-19
AS THE coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to take its toll across all fronts in the country, a lot of people are being affected or left vulnerable to exploitation, including children online. This is what an upcoming effort – Sweat to Protect — wants to address.
Set to happen on Saturday, May 2, Sweat to Protect is a fundraiser organized by Fight to Protect, an organization focused on tackling child sexual violence through sports, and Poveda Batch 2008, and the proceeds of which will go directly to Project S.A.F.E. (Support and Awareness to Fight Exploitation).
Project S.A.F.E. is a community-based effort by Nazarene Compassionate Ministries that targets the rising cases of child trafficking due to the COVID-19 community quarantine, by providing relief goods and child-safety orientations in vulnerable communities.
Organizers said children being preyed on, particularly online, and taken advantage of are a serious concern and merit needed action against. And Sweat to Protect is one platform to bring such to the fore.
“Project S.A.F.E.’s goal is to raise funds to supply OSEC-vulnerable communities with ‘safe packages’ — gift packs that include basic needs such as food and home items, so that families will not have to resort to crime to make ends meet during the COVID-19 lockdown,” said Meggie Ochoa, Fight to Protect founder and jiu-jitsu national athlete, and one of the proponents of the fight against the online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC).
“By providing them with basic needs, families can focus on nurturing a safe environment and building happy relationships which allow children to thrive,” she added.
Sweat to Protect happens from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will feature a series of workout sessions such as yoga, high intensity interval training, dance fitness, and jiu-jitsu fitness by instructors from Poveda Batch ‘08 Mariana Bantug, Paui Peña, Chrissie Torres-Jamlang, Ms. Ochoa and guest instructor MYX VJ Anton Fausto.
The event will be hosted by veteran radio DJ Katz Salao and will be streamed online via Faceook Live at fb.com/fight2protect.
To join in and get into the action, one can register by donating to Project S.A.F.E. via the link bit.ly/projectsafe2020.
Apart from doing their part in fortifying the fight against OSEC and getting the needed workout, donors/participants also get the chance to win exciting raffle prizes from partner brands at Sweat to Protect. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
