Provide primary health care for street children

For more than a decade, the Mobile Health Clinic (MHC) van of Childhope Philippines provides much needed health and medical services to street children all over Metro Manila. Since it’s maiden run in 2007, the MHC van already served more than 5,000 street children through a full-time medical doctor providing regular health check-ups, management of illnesses and preventive primary health care.

“The clinic van already showed signs of wear and tear and needed some repairs to be able to continue helping us provide for the health needs of the children, especially in those areas where public health clinics are inaccessible,” said Dr. Josefina Pamela Carpio, project officer and physician of The Mobile Health Clinic Project. “Through the MHC van, we make health care more accessible for the street children and their families,” she added.

“The facelift is a symbol of our continued commitment towards service for the children in need. We do not only make sure that they get more opportunities for education and welfare, but we also take care of their health while they study under our program. After all, health and education always go hand in hand. You will have a hard time educating a sickly child,” said Dr. Herbert Quilon Carpio, Executive Director of Childhope Philippines.

Along with much needed repairs, the van will now be dubbed Klinikalye or Clinic on the streets, giving it a distinct identity.

The MHC van was given to Childhope through a matching grant by the Rotary Club of Paco and Rotary Club of Honolulu, and has been provided support by partner organizations and donors from GlobalGiving for the past years.

Links:

• Official website of Childhope Philippines Foundation, Inc.

Driven to be responsible youths of the community, Childhope Philippines’ Junior Child Rights Advocates underwent a 3-day Peer Education Training on STI-HIV/AIDS prevention and gender equality last September 6-9, at Tahanan Sta. Luisa, Antipolo, Rizal.

About eighteen new Junior Child Rights Advocates participated, led by Childhope’s Assistant Executive Director, Ms. Helen Quinto, and with Mr. Ralph Ivan, President of Y-Peer Philippines as trainor.

The aim of the training is to strengthen the skills of the participants and to provide them with a basic knowledge on the current situation on HIV and AIDS in the Philippines, as well as interactive methods on how to improve their sensitization and counselling skills and how they can engage with their fellow youths during similar activities to create HIV awareness.

“The training will equip the advocates with knowledge and awareness about HIV, AIDS, and STI, and on child rights and gender equality as well,” Quinto said.

The training also focused on the different aspects of peer education and counselling prior to HIV testing as a first step to HIV prevention.

“In HIV prevention, we should be aware that testing is crucial to providing access to early treatment and care for people living with HIV and to protect those who are HIV negative,” Ivan said.

Childhope Philippines capacitates these youngsters to be more knowledgeable by providing them integrated education, and be more a responsible youth by sharing their learnings to fellow youth, family, and community.

Moreover, as part of Childhope Philippines’ holistic alternative education sessions, modules on STI-HIV/AIDS prevention, adolescent sexuality and reproductive health, as well as gender sensitivity and gender equality are conducted among older street children and youth.

Links:

• Pictures taken from the Peer Education Training of JCRA