Our Big Ideas
We are working on new and innovative ways to help couples decide to give birth at a health facility, plan their families, succeed in the practice of exclusive breastfeeding, and get their children ready for the big school. We are also urging teens to live healthy and make their mark.
Goodbye-Hello
You say ‘Goodbye.’ We say ‘Hello.’
In many rural communities in the Philippines, three out of five families more likely do not have their own toilets. Hence, the practice of open defecation is so prevalent that water-borne diseases like cholera, typhoid fever and dysentery continue to threaten the well-being of children.
What if we are able to make the link between abandoning open defecation and having better lives more engaging and appealing to Filipinos? CHSI has designed a Communication for Development campaign for UNICEF to supports its Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programs in the provinces of Masbate and North Cotabato. Called “Goodbye-Hello,” the campaign highlights what is left behind and what lies ahead when people start adopting healthy practices such as boiling drinking water, using the toilet and washing hands with clean water and soap.
Hungry No More
It is all about hungry babies
When you ask a mother why she is not breastfeeding, she will more likely reply: “I don’t have enough milk.” Many mothers think that their breast milk is not enough to satisfy their little baby’s hungry tummy. So they turn to other stomach-filling goodies that are not really healthy for their babies.
We think that if mothers know how the digestive system of a newborn baby works, they will be on their way to a successful, satisfying breastfeeding experience. CHSI has designed an engaging workshop on interpersonal communication and counseling on Infant and Young Child Feeding for community health workers.
Youth Trail
Giving teens the chance to leave their mark
Many Filipino girls get pregnant too early. Almost 10% of teenage girls (15-19) became young mothers in 2011 compared to only 6% in 2006. When asked why, most of them would say they were curious and simply in love. But there’s nothing simple when teens become parents when they are not ready.
What if we can offer teenage boys and girls the opportunities to learn and use important life skills in the coolest way possible? We think that interactive learning sessions by youth for the youth can help young people have better images of themselves and leave their mark as responsible members of their communities.
Learning and Choices
Empowerment through learning and choices
The Integrated HIV and SRH (Sexual and Reproductive Health) Pilot Project, which is being implemented in Angeles City, helps women in sex work get better access to health information and services on HIV, family planning (FP), and gender-based violence (GBV). The integration of FP, HIV, and GBV raises their awareness on the issues that affect them and the empowered choices that they can make, and steers them towards making better decisions.
A total of 811 women committed themselves into attending the monthly learning sessions on HIV/STI, FP and GBV conducted in their establishments. They were provided with services as the learning sessions were linked with access to FP commodities at the barangay health center, the League of Angeles City Entertainers and Managers, Inc. (LACEM) and the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines (FPOP). As an immediate result, 34 gender-based violence referrals were sent out. Additionally, 14 women were trained as peer facilitators and 224 female entertainers were reached with FP information at the Reproductive Health and Wellness Center (RHWC). Nineteen establishments were reached by these activities.