Maria Olivia Lucas
Unang Hakbang Foundation President
Philippines
A former banking professional, I started a small project for street children with several friends when I left banking. When the project grew, Unang Hakbang Foundation Inc. (UHF) was born to take over it. As its president, a volunteer position, I have overseen UHF’s expansion into an organization that reaches out to some 1,000 children annually, many of whom volunteer as story-tellers and peer tutors helping another child read, write and count. Their interest in going out of themselves led to our encouraging them to become education and child rights advocates. As they matured, we learned the importance of opening spaces for engagement for our children and other members of the community. Accordingly, I personally became more engaged in budget advocacy and in the open government process in order to understand it and find a pathway for our children and their community to access their right to participate in the discussions that concern them and impact their lives. The involvement of people in the grassroots to me is paramount if participatory governance and the open government partnership is to be sustainable and "have legs".