By Sheila Mae Dela Cruz – PR/ PNA
COTABATO CITY – Youth leaders in the upcoming Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) are keen on identifying and implementing health projects that would address health issues affecting communities in the region within the next few months.
Under the guidance of Ideas Positive, the country’s premier youth engagement program for innovative solutions to health issues in communities, the youth’s undertaking will run for six months to commence in March this year.
Now on its ninth run, Ideas Positive focuses on addressing local health issues to achieve the United Nations’ sustainable development goals through building healthier communities.
Only recently, 15 BARMM youth leaders had qualified as national finalists to lead the health programs in the Southern Philippines’ new political entity, together with 27 other placers set to serve their respective areas nationwide.
All 42 national finalists attended a four-day boot camp in Camp Allen, Laguna last Feb. 13-16 to help participants for their project implementation.
Each team will receive PHP100,000 to implement projects that would address health problems in their communities.
Addressing the youth participants, Michael Ignatius Tan, executive officer of the Unilab Inc. said: “You are here as our partners in the mission to provide trusted quality health care and to build healthier Philippines.”
Focusing on creating trauma-sensitive school environment tool to build Orphans and Other Traumatized Children (OOTC)-prevalent school in Maguindanao, Mohammad Tajallih Basman of the team Kabanatan (Resilience) reiterated that the Bangsamoro youth is ready to lead programs in building healthful communities in the province.
Meanwhile, with their project “Bohe Ma Paropdop” (Water in Paropdop), Ian Patrick Jaudinez from Tawi-Tawi, the farthest province in the southern Philippines, noted such opportunity as a big help in reducing the high prevalence of water-borne diseases in their area, particularly in Sitio Paropdop of Tandubas town in the island-province.
During the boot camp, Assistant Secretary James Ventura of the National Youth Commission reminded participants on the need to inspire the youth to do more for the country through health-oriented projects.
Dr. Enrique Tayag, assistant secretary of the health department, gave emphasis on the majority of the Filipinos poor understanding of basic health concepts.
Tayag urged the participants to “incorporate basic health literacy” in their efforts as it is critical to the success of the health-related programs.
