K4Health Training Program

Both birth defects prevention and newborn screening are covered in the 25-year framework prepared by the Department of Health, Children’s Health 2025 which is a sub-document and DOH’s input to CHILD 21 or the National Strategic Framework for Plan Development for Children (2000-2025). CHILD 21 envisions that every Filipino child will be born healthy and well, with an inherent right to life, endowed with human dignity. To achieve this, the framework cuts across various stages of the child’s development, from the prenatal period to adolescence. Furthermore, Children’s Health 2025 states that a healthy Filipino child is “wanted, planned and conceived by healthy parents; shortly after birth, the child is screened for congenital defects; and if defects are found, interventions to correct these defects are implemented at the appropriate time” (Department of Health).

At present, there is no clear national program on promoting public awareness on birth defects prevention and care. However, VYLH-Philippines, together with its technical partners has been leading in the promotional, educational and advocacy activities related to addressing birth defects prevention and care since its institution in 2009.

Hence, this training will specifically focus on presenting and equipping participating youth leaders on VYLH-Philippines advocacies namely:

• Increasing awareness among women in the reproductive age on the significance of folic acid supplementation in the prevention of birth defects, specifically neural tube defects; and
• Increasing public awareness in saving babies from mental retardation and death through newborn screening.

Involving the youth in promoting these health topics and other community health concerns in the future will be beneficial not only to the community but also the youth themselves. As information channels for health, the youth also becomes recipients of the information they intend to disseminate. Their knowledge on health concerns will increase as they become young health educators and advocates of the community. More importantly, this is expected to have a long-term impact since they are the community’s future parents and leaders. Aside from providing a background on the health advocacies of VYLH-Philippines, the training is founded on the importance of inculcating the value of VYLH organizational principles namely volunteerism, commitment, advocacy and leadership among the youth.

Lastly, this training program is the pilot module on the engagement of VYLH-Philippines university-based youth leaders to community youth organization and mobilization, and the first VYLH – LGU partnership of this kind which is hoped to be replicated in other locations in the country.

Objectives

The main objective of this training program is to organize and establish a community volunteer youth leader for health core group in the Host LGU under the direct supervision of the Municipal Health Officer. This is true to the meaning of K4, “Kabataan Kabalikat ng Komunidad para sa Kalusugan”. In addition, the training aims:

• To discuss the current health situation and the need for the active participation of the youth towards improvement of the health of the people;
• To present and discuss the importance of folic acid supplementation on birth defect prevention, and newborn screening in saving babies from death and mental retardation;
• To train youth leaders and volunteers on presenting the advocacies to the community; and
• To create an action plan on the implementation of a youth-led health promotion campaign in the community;

General Scheme of Program Partnership