“Sa tamang panahon” a qualitative study on empowering young adolescents through community-based, age-appropriate sexual and reproductive health education programs.

Abstract

Rising teenage pregnancy and maternal mortality rates, and a steadily climbing rate of HIV infections are some of the challenges to sexual and reproductive health in the Philippines, especially among young people. The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 (RH Law) seeks to address these issues by requiring the provision of age-appropriate sex education, among other services and programs. With absent to low levels of implementation of such programs, young people suffer from a lack of information on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), which disempowers them from fully realizing their basic human right to health. This study shall explore how non-government organizations such as Roots of Health (ROH) empower young people in matters of sexual and reproductive health, in the absence of government action or in the lack of cooperation from government institutions. The study was conducted through focus group discussions and one-on-one interviews with the staff and beneficiaries of ROH, as well as participatory observation of their programs and daily activities. Based on the preliminary data gathered, community-based comprehensive sex education programs have the potential to start empowering youth by providing a safe space for young adolescents to discuss matters concerning SRHR. Through these programs, mixed messages and misinformation about SRHR—from media, church, family and traditional education—are addressed. Outcomes of such programs, however, are usually limited to theoretical knowledge of safe sex practices, and rarely translate into positive sexual attitudes and behaviors.