HIV is surging in the Philippines - up 400% since 2012, with young people hit hardest. In Palawan, Roots of Health's Hope, Not HIV will give 400 young people (age 24 and under) free, confidential HIV testing, PrEP, birth control, STI treatment, and HIV care - through a youth clinic, mobile outreach, and online education. No judgment, no cost, no fear. Every test catches HIV before it becomes a crisis. Every treatment saves a life. Every young person we reach keeps a future open.
HIV is declining worldwide, but the Philippines is going the other way - new infections up 400% since 2012, among Asia's steepest increases. Most new cases are in young people under 25, and many only learn they're HIV-positive after becoming seriously ill. In Palawan, a province of hundreds of islands, reaching a clinic can take a full day and cost more than a family earns. For LGBTQIA+ youth, low-income teens, and those in remote communities, the barriers pile up - and diagnoses come too late.
Roots of Health has cared for Palawan's young people for years; this project strengthens what works. We run a free, youth-only clinic offering HIV testing, PrEP, STI treatment, birth control, and HIV care. Mobile teams bring workshops and screenings to schools and remote communities, while our Tagalog campaign, Keri Together, reaches young people online. We walk alongside those living with HIV. Every service is free, confidential, stigma-free - and we don't drop in, we stay.
Every year, at least 1,500 young people in Palawan will have somewhere to go for honest information, birth control, HIV testing, and treatment - no judgment, no cost, no fear. When young people prevent HIV, they keep building their futures; when diagnosed early and supported on treatment, they live long, healthy lives, and the virus stops spreading. This project is an investment in a generation of young Filipinos who understand their bodies, know their rights, and have care within reach.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
