The Mindanao Tri-People Women Resource Center (MTWRC) works to strengthen the role of Tri-people women as partners for peace and development.
MTWRC is a service institution for a network of grassroots organisations. The group was founded in 2000 by NGOs working in collaboration with Lumad, Moro and 'Majority Settler' women from across Mindanao, Philippines. The group's mission is to 'work for the betterment of the tri-people women's stature in the society as partners for peace and development. [Through] empowering the grassroots tri-people women to know and exercise their rights and prevent them from any forms of violence or discrimination.'
Aims and activities
MTWRC provides emotional, technical, and legal support for Tri-people women, as well as human resources development, capacity building, research, and documentation services. The group's main activity is facilitating the 'Mindanao Grassroots Tri-People Women Conference' which brings together women of different ethnic, religious, cultural, and social backgrounds together to discuss and share their perspectives and experiences and to co-create resolutions and initiatives to advance women's rights in Mindanao.
MTWRC provides a venue for advocates of women's rights and for the young generation of women in Mindanao to discuss women's issues and concerns. Through MTWRC they can collectively lay down a plan of action to address these issues and concerns, especially those affecting the women of Mindanao and ultimately to define the role of contribution of the Mindanao women's movement to the entire feminist movement.
The organisation engages in dialogue with other organisations aimed at understanding peace in Mindanao. Sindy Soler of MTWRC has said 'that women in conflict should not only see themselves as victims just like the women from war-torn areas of Maguindanao and North Cotabato who flee their communities and brave the harsh conditions of working overseas.'