NEWS NEWS
April 2021 Issue
A Bagani Community Center volunteer facilitates their first HIV Awaraness Talk with Bacolod City Sangguniang Kabataan on April 17. Photo from Bagani Community Center
written by Noemih Santos Abasolo
61 Barangays ahead, Bagani taking the lead
written by Rayd Espeja
Bagani Community Center starts its second year with a promising partnership with Bacolod City Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation on April 17, 2021 at Nato’s Cafe and Garden.
ty to touch every barangay in Bacolod City is groundbreaking for the movement that we fervently believe in.
The HIV Awareness Talk starts at Brgy. Banago which was delayed to the 15th of May due to developments in the COVID-19 situation in Bacolod. The talk will focus on the basics of HIV followed by HIV Screening to consenting participants. The aim of the talk is to spread awareness about HIV, debunk the myths surrounding it, and.reduce stigma. Moving forward, the SK officers collaborate with barangays to set schedules for the talk series.
With a month-long conversation with the current SK Federation President of Bacolod City, SK President Ayesha Villaflor, Bagani secures a series of HIV Awareness Talks to the barangays of Bacolod City. To help mobilize the partnership, Bagani’s allied organization Humanist Alliance Philippines International (HAPI) hopes to sponsor the first of the 61 talks to be held in May 2021. Bagani Community Center continues to be the trailblazer towards the HIV Awareness “We (SK) really love to have the talk (HIV advocacy in Bacolod City. It is evident from Awareness Talks) on our barangay and oth- the outpour of support from our partner er barangay in Bacolod. Ang kulang lang organizations and members that little by gid sa amon before is resource speaker. little, Bagani Community Center is becomWe cannot have the talk before because ing a relevant organization in the city of we do not have a resource speaker for the smiles as the forefront of this salient adtopic.” SK President Villaflor added. vocacy. Villaflor expressed her excitement, and like the SK President Ayesha, Bagani is also ecstatic to begin this meaningful relationship, most especially with young servant leaders of the community. To be able to start a conversation is the first step towards awareness and being given the opportuni-
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Bagani Community Center maintains a Facebook Page @BaganiBCD where clients can visit anytime to know the latest update from the center. They can also drop messages, we have dedicated volunteers to cater all the questions 24/7 as possible. We also have an active twitter account, you may follow us @BaganiBCD.
From page 1: LoveYourself expands HIV...
important as it brings HIV testing to clients who need them the most such as vulnerable and at-risk populations,” Dinglasan shared. Before it was able to start actual operations though, the program went through rigorous research with the leadership of LoveYourself’s Director of Operations and Research, Danvic Rosadiño. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic which limited movement, many were prevented from going to LoveYourself centers and other testing facilities to get tested for HIV. This is where SelfCare came in. “SelfCare’s Phase 2 implementation was indeed timely,” said Dinglasan, SelfCare’s Program Lead. “It happened during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic which enabled us to offer the self-screening kits through a demonstration study when they were needed the most,” he added. When asked how he defines SelfCare, Dinglasan had this to say: “Knowing your HIV status in a way that you are most comfortable is the very essence of SelfCare.” Moreover, Dinglasan believes that SelfCare is also community care. “Taking care of yourself allows you to also take care of others in the community,” he shared. Get a chance for a free SelfCare kit when you send your order on m.me/SelfCare2S.
