On 2 to 3 April 2019, the Sama Bajau Capacity Strengthening Project (SBCSP) conducted a series of community assemblies in all its service sites. All of the identified 300 Sama Bajau family beneficiaries attended and were oriented on the SBCSP, its goals and objectives, the selection criteria, and the schedules of project activities. Beneficiaries were also given the opportunity to raise questions about the project and its implementation.
The Sama Bajaus, known to many as sea gypsies, are considered to be one of the most vulnerable tribes in the Philippines. Owing to their mobility across political boundaries, many of them were and are not registered under a state making generations of them stateless. To help address their needs, Community and Family Services International (CFSI), with the funding of the European Union (EU), is implementing the Sama Bajaus Capacity Strengthening Project (SBCSP) in the Philippines. One of the activities of the project to contribute in addressing statelessness is ensuring birth registration among the Sama Bajau population in Zamboanga City.
Following the community assemblies was a series of mass registration for civil documentation of 300 family beneficiaries held from 10 to 17 April. This is the initial step for birth registration of Sama Bajau families which aims to contribute to their protection from statelessness.