Strengthening the sex workers collective project provides guidance and capacity building to the members of Philippine Sex Workers Collective (PSWC) -Manila Chapter. The project ensures that they acquire the necessary skills to sustain their organisation, better represent the larger sex worker community in various networks and platforms, and implement projects and programmes. This is done through network building activities that include regular core group meetings and learning group sessions to discuss the issues faced by the community; that explore the possible ways that the PSWC-MC responds. There is also capacity building on leadership and community organising. After the members go through these skills-building training, the project facilitates a visioning and planning workshop focused on programme development as well as pursuing strategies that raise sex work issues.

ction for Health Initiatives (ACHIEVE), Inc., and the Philippine Sex Worker Collective – Manila Chapter set out to organize a group of sex workers, facilitate the establishment of their identity as an organization, and build their capacity to start responding to the issues and challenges they encounter as a community. The biggest achievement of the project is the formation of a new group of sex workers known as Voice for Sexual Rights (VSR). The group was formally established with a vision, mission, and goals in August 31, 2020. This organization is composed of 30 active and former sex workers in Metro Manila and contiguous provinces. VSR aims to advocate for the full decriminalization of sex work, the recognition of sex work as work, and better access to sexual and reproductive health and other services. In order to do this, they will strive to source out funding support to strengthen their capacities and sustain their organization. Additionally, the group, was able to raise some visibility for the issues faced by sex workers through a number of talks and media interviews.  Among the members of VSR, changes were seen in their skills and understanding of the issues faced by sex workers. After attending learning group sessions and workshops, they expressed an improvement in their capacity to speak more confidently in public and to also discuss sex work issues in forums meetings they were invited to. As a new organization, VSR would need more support so they could flourish and continue their advocacy.  Achieve was also able to develop linkage between VSR and ACHIEVE to publicly raise the issue of sex work recognition, which became one of the biggest impacts of the project.  The appreciation of the intersectionality was a big win  

ACHIEVE will continue to provide technical support to VSR, assisting them in developing project proposals to mobilize funding, facilitate their engagement in the other projects of the organizations, as well as broker opportunities so the members of VSR can continue to represent sex worker communities in various platforms and forums.  VSR is already a member of the Service Delivery Network of Pasay City. ACHIEVE can provide them with the minimal resources to allow them to continue their engagement on this platform. They have also become a member of the Network to Stop AIDS Philippines, which is an advocacy platform for HIV-related issues. 

“We are newly established group of sex workers who are beginning to share our stories and experiences from an individual sex worker to a strong and passionate member of VSR (Voices for Sexual Rights). We may be new to this field but we are compassionate and eager to be heard. We finally have our organization’s vision, mission and goals. We have already developed our organizational structure and voted for our new leaders. We look forward to partnerships and collaboration with the other organizations that support us in our advocacy that sex work is work.” 

– Voices for Sexual Rights 

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