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Folic acid Awareness Campaign

Folic acid Awareness Campaign

After being handpicked by Dr.Carmencita Padilla, then director of the Institute of Human Genetics of the National Institutes of Health (NIH, UP Manila), The UPLB Genetics Society accepted the proposal of being the pioneer youth organization of an advocacy-awareness program focused on the promotion of Folic Acid Supplementation and its importance in the prevention of birth defects. In cooperation with technical partners from the Institute of Human Genetics (IHG, NIH-UP Manila), planning sessions were held together with the initial drafting of the project’s proposal and the current youth awareness assessment questionnaire.

https://sites.google.com/site/theuplbgenesoc/folic-acid-campaign/faclogo.jpg?attredirects=0

Project Proposal

The proposal was entitled “GENES-IN-ACTION: Empowering the Youth in Promoting Maternal and Neonatal Health (Establishing the Philippine Global Perinatal Health Network of Volunteer Youth Leaders). It revolved on the need to increase awareness among the youth particularly those in the reproductive stage as a crucial strategy towards the reduction of mortality and complications from preterm births. Preparing future parents while they are still young will greatly help in the fight against one of the leading causes of infant mortality.

One of the major components of the proposal is the orientation of youth leaders from various university- and community-based organizations nationwide. The event materialized as the Institution and Planning Workshop of the Volunteer Youth Leaders for Health-Philippines or the First VYLH National Youth Camp held last July 2009 in Tagaytay City which was organized by The UPLB Genetics Society, the Institute of Human Genetics of the National Institutes of Health-UP Manila, the Genetics and Molecular Biology Division of the Institute of Biological Sciences-UPLB and the Department of Health. From then on, the program was elevated to the national level.

Tasks

The Folic Acid Campaign (FAC) Committee of the UPLB Genetics Society is focused on establishing the network of youth leaders from student organizations in UPLB and the nearby communities in Laguna. After conducting an orientation-workshop in UPLB, three organizations, namely The UPLB Microbiological Society, UP Oikos and The UP Society of Human Settlements Planners, joined the advocacy which lead to the formation of a VYLH-UPLB Chapter. Other than increasing the members of the network, VYLH-UPLB is in the forefront of the advocacy campaigns in its vicinity. These activities are directed toward the promotion of newborn screening, the lobbying of public support to rare disorders, and increasing youth awareness on the importance of folic acid supplementation in the prevention of birth defects.

The FAC Committee was later renamed as the "VYLH-Philippines Committee" of The UPLB Genetics Society.

Research and Outputs

Timeline

June 23, 2008

The UPLB Genetics Society was invited to attend the preliminary meeting for the National Birth Defects Registry Project and Folic Acid Awareness Campaign at Hotel Kimberly-Manila. Both projects were spearheaded by the Institute of Human Genetics of the National Institutes of Health, UP Manila. GeneSoc, as the lead student organization of the campaign, was represented by Chromewell Agustin Mojica (FAC Committee Head, Proteome), Jastin Edrian Revilleza (VP 2008-2009, Integrons), Mikhael Danne Escalora (President AY 2008-2009, Ribozymes) and Alumni Members Adrian Oscar Bacena (Telomere), Francia Bartolata (Polygenes), and Cherry Pinky Budao (Genoplasm). As a response to this meeting, the Executive Committee of The UPLB Genetics Society created the Folic Acid Campaign Committee, an ad hoc committee which will coordinate all efforts related to the advocacy.

August - December 2008

GeneSoc together with technical partners from the Institute of Human Genetics, Ms. Jennifer Marie Tiu and Ms. Aster Lyn Sur, RN, started to develop the program proposal and youth questionnaire. The group was under the supervision of then director of IHG-NIH, Dr. Carmencita Padilla, and Dr. Merlyn Mendioro, the senior adviser of The UPLB Genetics Society.

January 6, 2009

A meeting which formally introduced the project to the administration of UP Los Baños was held at the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Instruction, Dr. Rita Laude. After the meeting, an endorsement by the Chancellor Dr. Luis Rey Velasco was processed. The endorsement signified the understanding and support of the UPLB administration to the campaign. It also allowed the conduct of advocacy campaign activities within the campus.

January 24-25, 2009

The Folic Acid Campaign was formally launched as an activity of The UPLB Genetics during the 4th offering of the annual Genetics Camp, an event for High school students and faculty. The Camp which for the first time covered a Luzon-wide attendance served as an avenue for a special symposium on the importance of folic acid supplementation on the prevention of birth defects. The lecture was presented by Dr. Carmencita Padilla. Assessment of the participants awareness about the topic was done through the questionnaire formulated by the group. A free tablet of a multivitamin supplement with the recommended folic acid content was also given to the participants in order to gain the complete folic acid experience.

[Read more: Genetics Camp 2009]

February 21, 2009

The UPLB Genetics Society sent invitations to UPLB Student Organizations regarding an orientation-workshop in forming a network of youth leaders in UPLB. The organizations that responded positively became the CORE members of VYLH-UPLB, namely The UPLB Microbiological Society, UP Oikos and the UP Society of Human Settlements Planners (UP HSPSoc).

March 2009

Dr. Merlyn Mendioro, the senior adviser of the UPLB Genetics Society and UPLB Faculty Adviser of the VYLH, gave a lecture on folic acid and its importance in the prevenetion of birth defects to the General Education (GE) class on nutrition (NASCI 6: Food, Nutrition and a Health Life) through the help of Dr. Wilma Hurtada (Professor, Institute of Human Nutition and Food of the College of Human Ecology; NASCI 6 Coordinator). The lecture was given to three large classes. Each large class is composed of at least 100 students. Lectures were also given to BIO 30 (Genetics Course) and NASCI 4 (The Living Planet) students. Both classes were duly handled by Dr. Mendioro.

July 17-19 2009

Members of the VYLH-Core group (VYLH-UP Los Baños) became the pioneer facilitators of the Institution and Planning Workshop of the Volunteer Youth Leaders for Health (First National Youth Camp) at Dacha Hotel, Tagaytay City.

This two-night, three-day event was a partnership of UPLB student organizations, the Department of Health and the Institute of Human Genetics, NIH-UP Manila. The members of the Volunteer Youth Leaders for Health – Los Baños and faculty members of the Institute of Biological Sciences, UPLB acted as participant-facilitators of the event. The event was attended by university- and community-based organizations invited by IHG-NIH. The objectives of the event were:

1. To create a network of volunteer youth leaders and youth organizations in universities and schools in major cities and communities; and

2. To promote awareness on the role of folic acid on the prevention of birth defects specifically neural tube defects among the volunteer youth leaders.

Progress of the Folic Acid Campaign

GeneSoc continuously sends delegates, as an affiliate organization of VYLH-UP Los Baños and VYLH-Philippines, to VYLH activities, island-wide camps and meetings.
The Folic Acid Symposium became a regular feature of the annual Genetics Camp since its addition to the camp's program in 2009. The symposium caters to the camp's participants which is composed of high school students and teachers. Aside from the lecture, distribution of the NBS brochures and Rare Disease Support Signature Campaign forms are regularly done during the camp.
The Folic Acid Committee (now VYLH Committee) initiates awareness campaign activities about VYLH-Philippines advocacies which includes the annual Genetics Week exhibit. A section of the exhibit is regularly given to VYLH-Philippines and its advocacies.
The Committee, together with VYLH Philippines-Los Baños, coordinates with the Municipal Health Office of Los Baños and plans awareness campaign activities outside the university.
The Committee, together with VYLH Philippines-Los Baños, continuously calls for interested students and student organizations who are willing to support the advocacy.

Read more: VYLH-Philippines Los Baños [Link]

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