TWIN-BAKHAW: Connecting SRH to a Community’s Ecosystem — Part 1

The project operates in two barangays in the Calamianes Island Group, Philippines, and is led by PATH Foundation Philippines, Inc. The project's unique approach involves planting a "twin" mangrove seedling for every newborn, which the family must plant and nurture until it is fully grown. This approach exemplifies the importance of family planning and reproductive health interventions in long-term environmental protection measures. The project focuses on indigenous women, who are key contributors to both sound environmental management and the community's health status. Women in these areas face the burden of food insecurity and are dependent on natural resources for food and livelihood. The project aims to empower women to participate in fisheries management and promote gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights. The Twin-Bakhaw project integrates family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) interventions with environmental protection, food security, and disaster mitigation. The project's success shows the importance of integrating FP/RH interventions for long-term environmental protection. The project's implementation is based on a multi-sectoral population, health, and environment (PHE) approach, which is a decades-long experience in the Philippines. The project's field program coordinator, Vivien Facunla, and assistant field project officers, Ana Liza Gobrin and Nemelito Meron, explained that the project's focus on protecting the bakawan or mangroves is crucial for the community's livelihood and environmental protection. Mangroves play a vital role in the community's food security, providing a defense against climate change, and storing carbon. The project's capacity-building training for Tagbanua women includes gender sensitivity, leadership, sexual and reproductive health rights, ecosystems approach to fisheries management, and mangrove reforestation. The project's communication strategy involves conducting training and seminars on SRHR, environmental conservation, and preservation. The project's goal is to empower women to participate in fisheries management and promote gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights. The project's success demonstrates the importance of integrating FP/RH interventions for long-term environmental protection and food security. The Twin-Bakhaw project's approach to connecting a community's ecosystem to family planning and reproductive health is innovative and effective. By empowering women to participate in fisheries management and promoting gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, the project contributes to long-term environmental protection and food security. The project's success has the potential to be replicated in other communities, making it a valuable contribution to the Philippines' experience in PHE programs.