AI avatars ‘Face of Courage’ empowering Filipina survivors

by Excel V. Dyquiangco / September 3, 2024

In a society rooted in faith and stringent societal norms, victims of abuse, particularly women, often face silence and anonymity as their only refuge. Fear, the normalization of domestic violence, and victim-blaming contribute to a culture where they feel compelled to keep their suffering hidden, preventing their experiences from being properly addressed or reported.

That is why the creation of virtual Filipina avatars for platforms like TikTok, dubbed the Face of Courage, holds much promise. It is created by The Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA), a non-government organization founded in May 1987 that serves largely to deliver access to media and information to marginalized sectors. Ten years into its founding, and with the surge of information and communications infrastructure, FMA recognized the potential of bringing internet capabilities and opening digital opportunities to these communities. 

Aside from Face of Courage, FMA continues to drive awareness on cyber safety, data privacy, and gender issues, including the practice of digital activism in its advocacies.

Lisa Garcia, FMA’s executive director, shared, “Unfortunately, all of us know at least one woman who has experienced gender-based abuse. Face of Courage is a brave campaign. If AI can empower Filipino women simply by lending a face, albeit computer-generated, to a real-life experience, the potential to use technology to end gender-based violence, and to campaign for the Divorce Bill should definitely be maximized.”

With the help of creative agency Dentsu Creative Manila, FMA’s AI Filipina avatar debuted in May 2024 in a series of videos on TikTok videos. Face of Courage proved polarizing, receiving praise and rave reviews, as well as the public comments expected in the age of like, love, hate – or cancel.

It also has 35M reach and nearly 564% engagement rate plus 184k that accessed the helpline directory. 

Dentsu Creative Manila’s Creative Director, Nonie Tobias-Azores, added “Working with the trust clients like FMA gives our team inspires us to create work like Face of Courage. With the praises we have received for this, our team continues to listen and learn from experienced community builders and cyber citizen inputs. Together we make relevant and creative life changing work aided by technology.”

For FMA, creating Face of Courage is that push for change: one real story at a time, one real woman at a time. RDH

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