AID grant no. 492-0419-G-SS-9083-00 to Medical Ambassadors Philippines, Inc. to provide support for primary health care among ethnic communities

(MAP) to support community-based primary health care in 14 ethnic barangays (communities) located in mountainous and isolated areas of Luzon and Mindanao. The program will serve some 5,500 tribal households. MAP will help each barangay to organize a village health committee and will train village health promoters/workers (VHP"s/VHW"s) (one for every 20 households). Each barangay will be responsible for constructing a village health station, which will house a clinic and pharmacy, and also serve as a training venue. MAP will provide basic equipment and supplies for the clinic and will establish a fund to purchase over-the-counter pharmaceuticals; fees will be charged at the clinic and the pharmacy. MAP will also provide each barangay with a grant for a pig raising project; this livelihood activity will be mainly a form of compensation for the VHW"s. Preventive and promotive health activities will be jointly undertaken by MAP staff and VHP"s/VHW"s, and will include: health education for mothers; immunizations; tuberculosis and malaria control; supplemental feeding and/or referrals of malnourished children; and regular deworming of children. In an institutional development component, trainers from MAP"s pool of consultants in Manila will provide MAP field staff with continuing education and skills development training in the basics of primary health care, problems in delivering PHC to ethnic communities, and community organizing.