Roots of Health

19/12/2025

Roots of Health is seeking a Palawan-based architect or interior designer to help design a Youth-Friendly Primary Care & HIV Treatment Clinic in Puerto Princesa City.

The consultant will work closely with our team to transform a large clinic space into a welcoming, vibrant, and youth-friendly environment that meets DOH and PhilHealth requirements, prioritizes confidentiality, stigma reduction, and efficient client flow.

If you're experienced in designing clinics, health facilities, or community spaces, you might be the one we're looking for! To know more about the position and project, click here: https://rootsofhealth.org/architect-interior-designer/

16/12/2025

Hi, I’m Sophia. I grew up in a conservative environment — the kind where we don’t talk about s*x. There was even a certain pride in being “prude.” Conversations were shut down, and people who raised the topic were quietly judged.

S*x education was seen as something dangerous, something that fueled temptation instead of empowering young people. Even using the correct terms for ge***al parts felt bastos, “dirty.” We could never mention them in normal conversation.

What is it about “puki” (va**na) or “tite” (p***s) that makes them dirty, compared to “mata” (eyes) or “ilong” (nose)? Aren’t they all just body parts that help us experience life?

Language matters. When we stigmatize Filipino words about s*x, we lose the ability to talk about our own bodies. Because of that shame, many of us grow up disconnected from our own bodies. I did.

Puberty came early for me. By Grade 3, my breasts started developing. By Grade 6, people noticed. Friends, classmates, even adults said things like, “I wish I had your body.” It felt unsettling. I was just a child.

I grew up thinking my body was something to hide, something that could corrupt men. I hated it for a long time.

It wasn't until I began working at Roots of Health that I realized how privileged I had been. I never had to face the risk of teen pregnancy or STIs. For many young girls that we work with, that risk is real.

And these girls, they’re not “malandi” or “promiscuous.” They don’t “deserve” what happened to them. They’re often failed by a system that denied them accurate information, care, and even language for their own bodies.

That’s why I’m proud of this work, of the education and services we provide for free. It’s not about encouraging s*x, it’s about empathy, about giving people the words to name their bodies and experiences. Because when you can name something, you can protect it. When girls and boys know the right words, they can say no, and they can ask for help.

The more I worked with young people and taught our modules, the more I wished I had learned the same lessons growing up. At times it felt ironic – encouraging them to embrace their bodies while I was still learning to embrace mine.

It takes years to unlearn the belief that there’s something wrong with our bodies. Healing from stigma takes time. I know that firsthand.

That’s why I believe in teaching young people, especially girls, to understand and honor their bodies early. We have to reach them before shame does, before harmful beliefs take root, so they can understand consent, recognize abuse, and protect themselves.

That’s what real empowerment is: knowing your body, your worth, and your choices.

That’s the legacy — the pamana — I hope our work leaves behind.

-- Sophia, Roots of Health Partnerships Coordinator for Pamana: Rewriting the Story We Pass On Fundraising Campaign.

Join us in empowering young people to know their bodies and make informed and healthy choices. Leave a legacy of health and hope today: https://donorbox.org/pamana

13/12/2025

We asked our community what future they hope to pass on—discover their empowering visions and be part of the change.

Help shape the future. A small gift goes a long way:
https://donorbox.org/pamana

11/12/2025

JOIN OUR GROWING TEAM! 💖

Roots of Health is looking for an on-site PhilHealth Claims Officer based in Puerto Princesa to help ensure smooth, accurate, and timely processing of our PhilHealth reimbursements.

If you're detail-oriented, organized, and passionate about supporting community health work, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now and join our mission to improve women’s and young people’s health in Palawan! Click here to know more about this opening: https://rootsofhealth.org/job-opening-philhealth-claims-officer/

10/12/2025

Reproductive health education and access to care are a human right.
But teen pregnancy, discrimination, and abuse still quietly pass from one generation to the next, perpetuating cycles of poverty.

For 16 years, Roots of Health has helped young people and families in Palawan gain the basic human right to access quality reproductive health education and services.

Through these they are one step closer to achieving freedom and equality as they make informed choices — breaking cycles and building lives rooted in dignity.

This year, on join our Pamana Campaign to pass on a legacy of empowerment, knowledge, and brighter futures.

A future where every person can exercise their right to shape their own healthy lives.

07/12/2025

𝐏𝐀𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐃!!!! 📣📣📣📣
𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐎 ang ating clinic ngayong araw dahil sa local holiday. Muli po kami magbubukas sa Tuesday, December 9, 2025.
Magpaappointment sa aming hotline number or page at maaaring hintayin muna ang confirmation bago pumunta sa clinic sa sumunod na araw.
Contact numbers: 0998 381 4686 | 0915 311 9731

05/12/2025

“HIV prevention works best when young people and communities lead the way.”

In this op-ed the Norwegian Ambassador H.E. Christian Halaas Lyster highlights the need to close the HIV prevention gap in the Philippines, and shares what Roots of Health does in collaboration with our youth advocates and partner organizations.

We’re grateful for the embassy’s years of support! They help us turn dreams into life-saving action. 💪✨

“It is a virus, but it does not define who a person is or what they can achieve.

02/12/2025

Give a gift that heals and uplifts generations.
This season of giving, your kindness helps us break harmful cycles and pass down a pamana, a legacy of empowerment, health, and hope.

𝙋𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙁𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚. 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙙𝙤𝙢, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙣.

When you give to Roots of Health, you’re helping rewrite stories — from “I didn’t know I had a choice” to “Now I can plan my future.

Because of you, more young people will gain the knowledge and care they need to make informed choices, avoid unplanned pregnancies, and shape brighter futures.

Together, we can break cycles that have lasted for generations and pass down a pamana of empowerment, knowledge, and love.

https://donorbox.org/pamana

02/12/2025

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 + 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐏𝐇’𝐬 𝐇𝐈𝐕 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐚𝐩

The The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Manila and Roots of Health co-organized a World AIDS Day forum in Manila, on Monday, bringing together government partners, civil society organizations, youth leaders, and advocates to tackle one urgent issue: how to close the Philippines’ widening HIV prevention gap.

Despite progress in testing and treatment, HIV infections have risen by over 550% since 2010, with 57 new cases reported daily—many among young Filipinos aged 15–23. Prevention remains the weakest point in the national response.

Early in the program, H.E. Christian Halaas Lyster, Norwegian Ambassador to the Philippines, underscored that many of the barriers to prevention—silence, stigma, and lack of information—are human-made, and therefore can be dismantled.

A panel featuring Roots of Health’s Executive Director Amina Evangelista Swanepoel, Dr. Chisty Andaya, of the Department of Health MIMAROPA, Amara Quesada of ACHIEVE Inc. and Anastacio “Tacing” Marasigan of TLF Share highlighted local innovations that put communities in the center of HIV response.

Cepeda shared about ACHIEVE”s community-led monitoring which gathers feedback from people living with HIV to strengthen the HIV service delivery network. Also discussed were Root’s of Health’s condom dispensers in high foot traffic areas, community-based HIV screening, sundown clinics offering after-hour services, and story-driven digital campaigns for stigma reduction. The need for machine learning and AI in HIV diagnosis and treatment was also explored by panelists and participants.

Kyla De Luz, Sangguniang Kabataan official and Roots of Health Youth Advocate, shared her insights on youth-led HIV programs in Puerto Princesa City. She emphasized that change often begins not in big speeches or huge events but in “small conversations” with classmates, friends or community members who simply need accurate information.

HIV advocate Elena Felix, shared her observations in the 31 years during which she has lived with HIV and said that resources need to increase in the same rate as cases are increasing.

Speakers and panelists articulated the urgent need to strengthen partnerships amid global funding cuts and to expand domestic financing so that prevention efforts can keep up with rising infections.

A key highlight: Norway reaffirmed its commitment to the global HIV response, announcing new contributions to the Global Fund and ongoing support for inclusive, community-centered models in the Philippines.

At the program we also showed Roots of Health's short documentary featuring the lives and stories of people living with HIV, helping ground the discussion in real experiences behind the numbers.

We believe that those closest to the epidemic—young people, community advocates, and local organizations—are closest to the solutions. With strong partnerships and sustained investment, these approaches can normalize testing, promote earlier diagnosis, and expand prevention services for those most at risk.

01/12/2025

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀’ 𝗛𝗜𝗩 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲.

The Philippines has made important strides in HIV treatment, but the prevention gap keeps widening especially among youth aged 15–24, who now account for a growing share of new infections.

Prevention is more cost-effective and sustainable, yet it remains underprioritized. At the same time, new infections are beginning to outpace treatment response.

This World AIDS Day, we honor the youth-led and community-driven innovations already strengthening prevention. In Palawan, young people are leading HIV education sessions, installing condom dispensers and distributing free condoms, conducting community-based HIV screening, and creating digital content that promotes safer s*x.

We’re proud of what our partnerships with young people and people living with HIV are achieving, and we know we can do more.

This World AIDS Day, let’s continue supporting young people and people living with HIV as they drive a stigma-free, youth-centered, and community-led HIV response. Together, we can close the prevention gap.

26/11/2025

We heard our client’s feedback and we listened.

Our Youth Clinic is now open from 6PM to 10 PM, made possible by the energy and dedication of our HIV Program Team and youth advocates.

This pop-up sundown clinic schedule gives students and working clients a safe space to access HIV screening and contraceptive services after school and office hours.

🎥 Watch this video and see how our clinic comes alive at night to meet our community’s needs.

By day, our clinic already serves over 1,000 clients per month.
With our sundown clinic, we hope to reach even more people who need us.

✨ 🌙 Keep our clinics open day and night.
Support our work: https://rootsofhealth.org/donate/