FEATURES NEWS
February 2021 Issue
Community-based organizations are pumped for the new grant written by Raymond Manahan
Leads of the Champion Community Centers network are pumped with the new round grant from the Global Fund (GF) to help their respective communities grow and be sustainable.
from the grant and our partners,” said David. Both organizations are committed to strengthening their relationship with partners such as the local government unit and the local health office, and other stakeholders to widen their reach among high risk groups. “We want to reach more comThe Decent Image of South Signal Associa- panies like call centers, clinics, and malls. tion (DIOSSA) and Family Planning Organi- We also intend to involve youth volunteers zation of the Philippines (FPOP) Pampanga to support our activities,” said David. Chapter are among the organizations that have been part of the network since its es- She also emphasized that the ACER protablishment. ject played an integral role in their community center’s growth towards being able DIOSSA is a transgender-focused CBO to offer services not just for HIV testing based in Taguig, which specializes in ad- and treatment, but also for other STIs and dressing sexual health, psychosocial combination prevention campaigns. Laguwell-being, and human rights-related is- ing, on the other hand, highlighted their sues in the transgender community. Tan- technical learnings in programmatic and ya Laguing, President of DIOSSA, said the financial reporting. Moving forward into organization expects new challenges from the PROTECTS project, DIOSSA and FPOP the project given its wider scope and new Pampanga Chapter will use this foundastrategies. With this, the organization re- tion not just to contribute to the program’s lies on more focus on key population (KP) goals, but also to flourish as Champion interventions and the employment of in- Community Centers. novative strategies. Leader's perspective FPOP Pampanga Chapter is a local unit of the Family Planning Organization of the Among the people looking forward to Philippines, based in San Fernando City. the transition to PROTECTS project is FPOP is a nationwide organization that LoveYourself’s Senior Program Manager, concentrates in providing services on sex- J.D. Ruanto. ual & reproductive health and rights. Leading its Pampanga location is its Chapter Ruanto started as a program officer under Program Manager, Valentina David. the GF ISEAN-HIVOS Programme grant IN 2014 and eventually served as the ProSimilar to DIOSSA, David said that the new gram Manager for ACER in 2018. He now goals and strategies of PROTECTS will provides oversight to external grants at bring new challenges to the organization. LoveYourself. Nonetheless, she expects that with the help of the community and all its partners, He expressed that the PROTECTS project the organization will be able to better con- will continue giving technical assistance to tribute to reaching the project’s targets. community centers and support for organizational development to CBOs engaged in “We hope to be able to reach more peo- the ACER grant. “It is still our goal to HELP ple in the community, given the support MORE CBOs under GF Sites to establish their own COMMUNITY CENTERS and Strengthen capacities of CBOs to ensure 4
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organizational sustainability,” Ruanto said. In addition to existing 15 community centers developed under ACER GRANT, nine more centers will be established this year and new CBOs will be engaged in the PROTECTS project as part of its mission to widen the scope of the advocacy. New mechanisms and strategies will also be employed by the project to take a more community-centric and context-specific approach. Ruanto said, “we will maximize the use of online platforms in disseminating information about HIV testing and communicating the importance of treatment. Emphasis will also be given to developing localized campaign materials focusing on different key populations.” He added that innovative strategies will be one of the highlights of the PROTECTS project. Though he sees this as both opportunity and challenge, Ruanto maintains that with the combined efforts of the LGU, CBOs, the regional health office, and other partners, these innovations will be pivotal to reaching the goals of the project. Above all the strategies the PROTECTS project will utilize, he believes that a strong collaboration with the LGU and the regional health office is key to the success of the project. “This is a national project and the Global Fund is here to help the government in its initiatives to eradicate HIV and AIDS in the Philippines,” Ruanto said. It is Ruanto’s hope that the project will be able to reach more people and strengthen more community centers. “We want to engage more KPs, and make sure no one is left behind”, he added. With wider reach, innovative strategies, and community-specific approaches, Ruanto is optimistic that the PROTECTS project will not only contribute to the national response to HIV and AIDS, but also to the UNAIDS 2025 target.
