Student Health Advocates provide their peers with trusted information in reproductive health, as well as life skills, to  guide them through the difficult times they face in their adolescence.

Why we care: In addition to all the other worries high school students have to face, girls in Palawan are often forced to drop out of school due the alarming number of unplanned pregnancies.

How we’re solving this: Roots of Health recruits and trains Student Health Advocates to be peer resources and to promote knowledge in reproductive health, as well as life skills, such as standing up to peer pressure, identifying risky behaviors, and engaging in healthier and more positive decision-making.

Am I popular? Could I be gay? Does my partner love me? Am I normal? Could I be pregnant?  Do I have a STI? 

There are so many things to worry about in high school! Things you can’t tell your parents – boys, girls, pimples, strange feelings, peer pressure and fitting in.

An added concern is an unplanned teenage pregnancy – which forces young girls to drop out of school and happens alarmingly often in our community in Palawan, the Philippines. We provide reproductive health and relationship classes and basic information on health to high school students, between the ages of 12-16 years old. In the classroom setting, students feel shy tend to open up less about their concerns. Instead, we encourage and foster small groups and conversations with their peers to help these teenagers speak more freely. 

In order to better support these young people, we have designed a Student Health Advocate program for the high schools we work in. Our staff and the teachers at the schools will identify interested students, and in turn we will provide in-depth training on health information as well as life skills, such as standing up to peer pressure, identifying risky behaviors, and engaging in healthier and more positive decision-making.

In training several young people and providing them with information, including how to access health services, we will be providing the students with trusted sources of information within their peer groups. In addition to supporting their friends, these Student Health Advocates will be able to advise other young people on when they should see a doctor, go to the Roots of Health office, or seek other professional help.

Your support can help young people in Palawan to have the support they need to stay healthy and in school, ensuring brighter futures.