MANILA, Philippines - Every child should be wanted. Every birth should be safe. Every young person should be free from HIV. And every girl and woman should be treated with dignity and respect.
These are the key areas being espoused by the Reproductive Health (RH) bill under the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) vision. These are also the same founding principles of Roots of Health (Ugat ng Kalusugan), a non-governmental organization (NGO) that focuses on improving the health of women and girls.
Founded in 2009 by Amina Evangelista Swanepoel, Roots of Health (RoH) aims to push RH education for women, provide educational support for children, and support the nutritional needs of pregnant women and small children in the underserved areas of Palawan.
“Roots of Health fosters self-reliance among young women, young people, and their families to lead healthy lives. It also provides access to RH tools such as education and services to protect rights,” says Carlos Celdran, a member of RoH’s board of advisers.
A staunch advocate of RH, Celdran was invited to be part of the NGO in 2009. As adviser, he helps the organization conduct fund-raising activities, promote advocacies, and aid in strategic communications.
Recently, Celdran made a donation of P100,000 representing his honorarium as brand ambassador of the condom brand Durex. Launching a series of campaigns, Durex advocates the use of condoms as an effective mode of preventing unplanned pregnancies and the spread of sex-related diseases.
Although birth control and other reproductive health services are available in the Philippines, much of the country including women and girls in communities served by Roots of Health are too poor to have access to such care.
“According to the facts we gathered, more than half of all pregnancies are unplanned, and 11 women die every day due to preventable complications during childbirth. Contraceptives are not available in most government and rural health centers,” adds Celdran.
UN’s population experts contend that unwanted pregnancy is a result of being uninformed or worse, misinformed about sexuality and the risks associated with unprotected sexual activity. Another reason, they argue, is the non-use or misuse of condoms.
To battle this growing problem, RoH launched a health education outreach program in Pulang Lupa, which covered issues such as men and women’s reproductive systems, contraception, pregnancy, among others. The 20-week classes were attended by 45 out of 59 mothers in the community. “And five women never missed a class,” shares Celdran.
The NGO also launched a series of livelihood programs, one of which is vertical gardening, designed to help families grow nutritious vegetables with minimal effort. As of last year, 28 garden setups had been in use, and around 1,200 vegetables had been planted.
This holiday season, RoH launched the Video Christmas Card where donors may select a short video of holiday greetings that can be sent to friends and loved ones.