Successful Communities from Ridge to Reef
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| Barangay health workers, captains,
family planning motivators, and trained
coastal resource monitoring volunteers
at the parade for the launching of the
Family Planning Commodity Distribution
System of Roxas, Palawan, Philippines,
last November. Source: World Wildlife Fund |
The USAID-funded population, health, and environment (PHE) project,
Successful Communities from Ridge to Reef, provides reproductive
health information and family planning (FP) services in key areas
where population growth has serious impacts on natural resources
and biodiversity.
The project, managed by the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Community
Conservation Unit, is located on the coast of Palawan Island in the
Philippines. Palawan is one of the last provinces with relatively intact
ecosystems and with wide marine diversity, and yet the island’s marine
life is severely threatened. The human population is predicted to double
in less than 30 years, and harmful fishing practices are on the rise,
furthering the stress on the environment. Meanwhile, the decentralized
local governments still have weak capacity in enforcing marine laws or
managing demographic change.
In the two years since its inception, the project has worked with the
district government and local communities to bring a new contraceptive
distribution system to the area; educated and mobilized midwives,
fishermen, and government and community groups to deliver integrated
messages about conservation, health, and FP; and improved the
capacity of local marine-watch groups and the government to enforce
marine laws.
The Roxas Family Planning Commodity Distribution System
In 2005, supplies of free pills and condoms that had been distributed
in the Roxas municipality suddenly became unavailable. At the national
level, there were no funds to pay for the supplies. However, within months
of the outage, the PHE Project was initiated to fill the commodities gap.
Partnering with the Municipal Health Officer, the project helped motivate
the passage of a resolution urging the barangays (local village governments)
to allocate funds for the purchase of contraceptives and the
establishment of a commodities distribution system. This time, however,
they would not be distributed for free but would be sold at prices
calculated to ensure sustainability of the program and accessibility
for the poorest members of the municipality.
The system was launched on November 27, 2006. The supplies are
dispensed by community-based distributors and local pharmacies
which sell oral contraceptives, injectables, and condoms. In addition to
commodity distribution, several barangay health workers and other FP
outreach workers conduct FP action sessions for couples with unmet
need for family planning.
Family Planning Action Session (FPAS) Outreach Workers
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| Melogen Tipon with her husband and two sons. Source: World Wildlife Fund |
Melogen Tipon, a 32-year-old mother of three, became
an FP outreach worker after attending a training session
conducted by WWF-Philippines and Save the Children.
She is one of 25 FP volunteers in Roxas who have been
trained by the PHE project. The volunteers conduct meetings
with couples in their communities to talk about the links
between population, health, and environment and the
importance of planning family sizes, so families can continue
to be healthy, and parents can provide for their children
without negatively impacting the environment.
In her role as an FP outreach worker, Melogen says that
she has improved her knowledge of reproductive health
and contraception. “With the new knowledge I was able to
explain not only to my husband, but also to my neighbors,
about contraception and other FP methods that are available for men and women. So far, I have talked to four
other women who are interested in using an IUD. Being a user myself, I can really talk to them about my own
experience and can correct any misconceptions they have about the IUD.”
Saving Dugong on the Coral Triangle
The gentle dugong inhabits shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific, wherever sea grass is most abundant. Like other
sea cows, the dugong lives a long life but breeds slowly, making it vulnerable to local eradication. A beached
dugong was saved from certain death when 15-year-old Mark Florende found the marine mammal and reported
it to the PHE project. A rescue team was immediately dispatched. After ensuring it was uninjured, the volunteers
gently towed the dugong to safety, allowing it to swim away. Amid cheers, the team watched the dugong disappear
into Palawan’s turquoise waters. Mark attributed his ability to identify the dugong and realize its importance
to a poster used by the local PHE project. The poster described the sea cow, the threats it faced, and provided
contact information in case of sightings of dugong catching or beaching.
Program Displays Success after Only Two Years
There is growing evidence that integrated PHE programming increases community comprehension of the
complex linkages between population, health, and the environment and can lead to quick improvements in
marine conservation outcomes. The program’s success is evident after only two years:
- The government has passed resolutions providing increased support for marine enforcement, boat fuel,
and purchase of FP commodities.
- Many couples are attending premarital counseling sessions on FP, which, through the project’s efforts,
have now become a standard protocol for the district.
- Stakeholders are now motivated and participating in demarcating new marine protected areas.
- The project has measured increased participation of communities in reporting and monitoring marine
turtles, dugongs, and illegal fishing practices like dynamite and cyanide poisonings.
January 2008
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