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With the growing treatment clients, we envision to beef up our pool of life coaches from all of our active HIV counselors, thus the need to equip them with information that enable them to function as life coaches as well,” Maynes said. LoveYourself provides holistic care to almost 7,000 clients living with HIV through its innovative life coaching program. These life coaches guide clients in the biomedical side of managing HIV and also address the psychosocial needs of the client in adjusting to and accepting their HIV status as well. With only 55 active life coaches, 29 volunteer counselors heed the call to become life coaches.
All trainings conducted for the LoveYourself volunteers were held online. Photo by EBagasol
LoveYouself enriches volunteers online
written by Diego Rozul
In nourishing its advocates’ volunteer experience, LoveYourself holds a series of training opportunities for its members this month.
Parts of the Crayne’s training include the types of stakeholders, the messaging tools and strategies, and the things to remember when engaging in a conversation or interview with a stakeholder. According to LoveYourself founder and executive direc- Crayne, these are tools to effectively comtor Ronivin Pagtakhan genuinely shared, municate the organization’s advocacy, es“our volunteers, in synergy with our staff, pecially in today’s context. are shaping our organization to what it is iCOMM, the Community Wellbeing, SKPA now.” Philippines, and Champion Community “We hope to return the favor by equip- Centers network also spearheaded a comping them with the necessary knowledge munity management team (CMT) handling and life skills relevant to their functions to training on September 20 of the new social help further our larger society,” Pagtakhan media warriors for partners’ online platforms, such as the pages of the National added. HIV Prevention Month, SafeSpacesPH, On September 5, the Integrated Commu- Champion Community Centers, and PrEP nications (iCOMM) and Ministry of Fun Pilipinas. committees of LoveYourself, together with the EON Foundation as the training facil- Running parallel to this is the launch of itator, conducted a spokesperson training LoveYourself University’s (LoveU) online for volunteers representing the organiza- life coach training program every Saturday until October 10. tion externally. EON Foundation’s advocacy lead, Adam Crayne, stressed that speakers should be aware of the organization’s core values, stakeholders, and stand on any concerns raised. Crayne also discussed the importance of being informed with national and international issues, affecting the different aspects of communicating for the organization’s causes, like HIV awareness and care.
Since most of the committee’s activities are considerably a social gathering, LoveU is feeling the brunt of COVID-19 pandemic. To adapt to the situation, LoveU also shifted to online platforms to keep up with the volunteers’ need for training and development. LoveU chancellor JM Maynes said, “LoveU managed to adjust and continue learning sessions for the volunteers, using Google classroom and Zoom sessions.”
Despite the pandemic keeping our volunteers apart, LoveYourself ensures that it is not only able to connect with its volunteers but also enrich their experiences. With over a thousand volunteers expanding its reach and care on a national scale, LoveYourself is eternally grateful for their time and effort in spreading the organization’s message of daring to be oneself, caring for oneself, and sharing oneself with others.
continuation: kNOwTell explores... The telemedicine strategy proved to be efficient and effective in delivering healthcare services for the young key population while navigating their way into the intensely strict regulations and protocols brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was strengthened by the active social media engagements and complemented with the operations of the mobile clinic offering sexual and reproductive health services, not limited to HIV and AIDS. Other clients that can’t be reached by the mobile clinic were referred to partner agencies and Adolescent Friendly Health Facilities. The kNowTell Health and Wellness Lounge is one of the Champio Community Centers supported by the Global Fund - ACER through LoveYourself. It is a brainchild project of the Department of Health CHD6 together with Robinsons Malls and The Family Planning Organization of the Philippines – Iloilo Chapter.
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