The League of Endowed Affectionate Diverse Students (LEADS) headed by this writer; the Rotaract Club of MSU Tawi-Tawi, headed by President Resam Jain; and Jama Mapun Youth College Association headed by President Keno Mark Tan launched “Project Usapang Barkadahan.”
The one-day event had 81 student participants from Mapun High School who are now expected to become warriors and spread the knowledge gained from the seminar-workshop. The facilitators were youth leaders from the mentioned organizations who have undergone Peer Education on Adolescent Sexuality and Reproductive Health Training provided by IPHO Tawi-Tawi, DOH ARMM, and USAID Mindanao.
According to the 2013 National Demographic and Health Survey, one in 10 Filipinas, aged 15 to 19, is already a mother or pregnant with her first child. Related to this, HIV cases continue to rise in the Philippines despite it being a low-prevalence country. In January 2019, the Department of Health confirmed 1,249 new HIV-positive individuals. Adolescents can become sexually active when few protective services are available, and girls are especially vulnerable to sexual assault and exploitation. Such risks increase their vulnerability to sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies, and unsafe abortion.
The event was made possible with the support of the Integrated Resource Development for Tri-People (IRDT) and the Rotary Club of Bongao Tawi-Tawi.
—Gabriel Guadelquiver
Read more news in the July issue of the Philippine Rotary Magazine.
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