You know what they say – empowered women, empower women. While I settle into my quarantine routine, I can’t help but wonder about how my fellow women all around the country are coping as well. After all, there are just some issues that only we understand and experience. After a bit of searching online and recommendations from my girl groups, I’ve come up with a list of “by women, for women” services and enterprises uplifting other women during these uncertain times. Click on the headings of each section to follow these groups and pages.
Lunas Collective is a volunteer-run, online chat service that provides support services for survivors of gender-based violence or violence against women, and people who may have concerns with family planning. Established because of the community quarantine orders throughout the country, they “seek to respond to women and people of different identities who may be in need of some, or any form of social support”.
Women can message them through their Facebook page or FB Messenger and their responders will attend to them on Mondays to Saturdays from 1:00-4:00PM. Users can ask them a wide variety of questions from what to do if their contraceptives run out, to asking for help if domestic abuse happens at home. The page is also accepting volunteers who can help out in any way they can.
In a time where going out of the house isn’t an option for many, this chat service can be a lifesaver for women at home who need someone to talk to or confide in.
Dima is an online website that sells and delivers reproductive health products — from birth control to pregnancy tests — all over the country. Unlike many other websites in the Philippines, they are fully licensed by the FDA and all their products have been tested and registered. Not only do they carry the generic versions of popular branded birth control (their cheapest is 50 pesos per box!), they also have partner doctors to issue prescriptions and consultations. This service is key for women who want an easier and more discreet type of access to birth control.
Dima is currently issuing prescriptions free of charge during the period of community quarantine. They can also be found on Instagram at @dimahealth.
The Young Feminists Collective is a public Facebook group that was created on March 21, 2020. Created by and for women, they currently coordinate multiple donation drives for medical front liners, city sanitation workers, communities in Luzon, as well as mothers and women admitted in hospitals. This group is a great way to concretely help out despite being cooped up at home! We salute these women for coming together to create a platform where fellow women can reach out to one another.
It’s incredibly inspiring that despite all the craziness happening around us, we’re still finding ways to have each other’s backs. So, if you can, help out, read up, and let’s continue to empower each other even in the comforts of our home. I’m here for this Filipina #sisterhood – quarantine version!
