Yvette is a Rotary World Peace Fellow sponsored by Caringbah Rotary Club studying in a Master of
Conflict Resolution program at the University of Bradford, in the United Kingdom.

"I am overwhelmed and humbled to be a recipient of the Rotary World Peace Fellowship. To have
the support of Rotary, an organisation committed to community service, global peace and goodwill is
invaluable” she said.

Yvette holds a Master of Bioethics from Monash University, a Bachelor of Medical Science from the University of New South Wales and a Bachelor of Laws from the same University.

She has been participating in study-related work activities after completion of her first academic year. The following is an edited extract.

 
“My field experience in the Philippines has been an insightful experience from a conflict resolution perspective. It is home to the second longest internal conflict in the world, with conflicts from community to national level that include clan feuds (‘rido’), inter- and intra-community conflicts over natural resources, and intra-state conflicts by Muslim separatists and Communist rebels.

As an intern in the Conflict Management group at The Asia Foundation, the highlight has been visiting Mindanao, which has the largest majority of Muslims in the Philippines. I met local stakeholders – army officials, journalists, policymakers, priests, human rights advocates and civil society leaders – and learnt firsthand about the history, the challenges and progress of the peace process between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a Muslim separatist group.

Also, while in Mindanao, I attended the enthronement of the Sultan of Madaya. For over ten years the leadership of the Sultanate of Madaya was vacant due to conflict between different families in the Sarip Batua- Datu a Pitiilan clan. With support from The Asia Foundation’s local partner, the council of elders of each sub clan successfully reunited the entire clan, which culminated in the enthronement on 5 July 2009 in Marawi City. This traditional event was immediately preceded by a series of bombings in Mindanao which was evidence of the precarious nature of the peace process on the ground. However, military operations and rebel attacks have virtually ceased with the military’s unilateral declaration of Suspension of Military Offensives (SOMO) on 23 July 2009, followed by the MILF’s declaration of Suspension of Military Actions. With the presidential elections set for May 2010, this has been an interesting time for me to be in the Philippines. In particular, I have watched the current President’s final State Of the Nation Address and heard peoples’ responses; attended a meeting with former President Joseph Estrada (who was peacefully ousted by the Second People Power Revolution in 2001 and is seeking to be reinstated) and the Archbishop of Manila, Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales; and witnessed the crowds gathered for the funeral procession of former President Cory Aquino (considered by many to be the ‘Mother of Democracy’ in the Philippines). In 1986, the Roman Catholic Church was instrumental in winning support for former President Aquino to be become the first female president of the largest Christian country in Asia and today, the Church remains a significant factor in the political foreground and background.

Living in a city, with over 11 million inhabitants and home to four of the world’s largest shopping malls, it is easy to miss the stark reality of poverty in Manila and beyond. One example of local efforts to improve the quality of life for the poorest Filipino communities is the project run by The Philippine Christian Foundation (PCF). As part of PCF’s education program, a converted warehouse has been set up as a school for children who in live on or near the Smokey Mountain rubbish site in Manila. To accommodate the need for extra classrooms, another school made from light weight cargo boxes is being built on another rubbish site nearby. PCF’s livelihood and skills training program teaches women the skills for making jewellery from magazines and can tops, which is then sold locally in Manila and online to generate funds. “

See Yvette's full report