Diplomas, Not Diapers!

It has been a busy few months for us at Roots of Health!

In May we celebrated Sex Ed month and undertook special activities and events to ensure that more young people could access information about their bodies and their health.

We noted that May was #SexEdForAll Month, but that young people still find it difficult to access sex ed. We’re working closely with educators and youth leaders to ensure that essential information on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) reaches young people in schools and communities. Our team constantly creates age-appropriate and localized resources for teens to learn more about ASRH. We also work with the Department of Education to mainstream our resources and teaching methods into the public school system.   

Young people deserve accurate and comprehensive ASRH information  designed for them, so they can make healthy decisions about sex and relationships, now and in the future

On May 19th, we also commemorated #InternationalAIDSCandlelightMemorialDay

Every year, the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Day is held to remember the lives lost to AIDS.

More than 7,000 people have died from AIDS since the first HIV case was recorded in the Philippines in 1984. Nearly half of them had advanced HIV upon diagnosis.

At Roots of Health, we actively promote programs and policies aimed at preventing the spread of HIV and building a community that is supportive of people living with HIV (PLWH).

HIV is no longer a death sentence, especially if diagnosed early.

Together we work on prevention, screening, and linking people with HIV to care so no more lives are lost.

In June, we celebrated Pride Month.

Here at Roots of Health we stand in solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community. We embrace everyone for who they are and empower others to do the same everyday.

Roots of Health offers non-judgemental sexual and reproductive health services to all. We partner with LGBTQIA+ organizations, increase access to free clinical services and contraceptives, train health workers on non-discriminatory community-based HIV screening, and provide comprehensive sexuality education to young people.

While this month is dedicated to the celebration of pride, our celebration continues everyday of the year. Join us as we continue to fight for everyone’s freedom to be their most authentic selves.

In July, we went back to couples to whom we had provided training on couples communication to find out if they were utilizing what they learned. We were delighted to find out that our skills training really helped!

We recognize that building healthy relationships is essential to women’s reproductive health.

Our Young Couples Communication program is centered on effective communication and consent, nurturing the foundations of positive and respectful partnerships. See the photos below to learn about one couple;s reflections on our training. 

We are continuing our efforts to provide high quality programs and services to reduce unplanned pregnancies and new cases of HIV. Thank you for your continued support and for being our partner in this journey.