“The needs of young people do not stop because of lockdown”

Genesis Faderogao works with Community and Family Services International that supports women and girls with sexual and reproductive health services in Pasay City, Metro Manila.  When COVID-19 shut everything down in March, Genesis and the Community Volunteers found a way to safely deliver condoms with an online service. Their work delivering contraception during the pandemic hias helped the community avoid a surge in unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.

Genesis says even talking about reproductive health services for women and young people can be difficult in her country. 

“In the Philippines, reproductive health is not really an issue that everybody can support and accept,” she says, “We are a majority religious country and it is hard to promote what we do.”

Genesis and her colleagues target vulnerable young people in the community to talk about sexual and reproductive health and rights. 

“We provide education but we are also looking at how we can ensure that young people are protected.”

“We provide education but we are also looking at how we can ensure that young people are protected,” she says.

Because of conservative resistance to openly discussing fundamental health issues, many young people do not know what services are being offered or where to find them. She says before COVID-19, their center was a trusted source of accurate information. 

“We talk to them about what family planning services are available or how young people can be protected from HIV and sexually transmitted diseases,” she says. 

“We talk to them about what family planning services are available or how young people can be protected from HIV and sexually transmitted diseases.”

One of the primary protective measures they promote is the use of condoms. When lockdown made it impossible for young people to come to the center, Genesis and her colleagues started looking at how to adapt to the new reality. 

“We had to analyze how we could respond to the situation,” she says. “We are providing sexual reproductive health services and the immediate needs of young people do not stop because of lockdown.”

They realized that their close links to the community gave them a network to distribute essential supplies so they got permission from authorities, then we took this as an opportunity to deliver condoms when everyone was in lockdown. 

“These community volunteers who helped us distribute condoms, they are real heroes because in spite of the risk they continued to do the work of providing condoms to vulnerable young people.”

“These community volunteers who helped us distribute condoms,” she says, “they are real heroes because in spite of the risk they continued to do the work of providing condoms to vulnerable young people.”

Genesis and her team were careful to ensure all protections were in place for the volunteers and all health safety protocols followed. Through virtual sessions they briefed the volunteers on what to do. 

She says it was crucial to get young people from the community so they were already trusted and part of the neighborhood. 

“Community Volunteers are residents of the community we serve,” she says. “They know the young people, the sex workers and LGBTQI communities who needed condoms.”

“Community Volunteers are residents of the community we serve.They know the young people, the sex workers and LGBTQI communities who needed condoms.”

UNFPA worked with Community and Family Services International to deliver supplies with over 1,000 boxes of condoms. The community volunteers got request from peers, friends and neighbors, and briefed the volunteers who did regular routes  on foot to deliver the packs discreetly and safely. From April until August, they made 5,000 deliveries in the community.

Genesis says it was good to hear feedback from the volunteers. 

“They were happy that we are able to distribute condoms,” she says. “They are seeing that we are helping to lessen the numbers of teenage pregnancies and the risk of getting HIV.

“They were happy that we are able to distribute condoms,” she says. “They are seeing that we are helping to lessen the numbers of teenage pregnancies and the risk of getting HIV.

With the lockdown easing and life slowly resuming in the Philippines, Community and Family Services International is drawing on it’s lessons from the pandemic and emerging with new focus and expanded services. They have added new services at the center and expanded the training for existing volunteers to be better equipped to handle referrals with mental health questions.