Project Lead(s): Erlinda Goh
Issue
The Philippines has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in Southeast Asia. This rate is exacerbated in rural and poor areas. Young Filipino girls and women, particularly in rural areas, have little exposure to sex education and reproductive health information. Teenaged pregnant women and mothers comprise 75% of the maternal death incidence in the country.
Solution
The project created and developed a radio program called ‘Impormasyon Ngayon’ that aimed to address the issue of teen pregnancy in the Philippines.
The program provided information on motherhood, teen pregnancy, and reproductive health to the region of Palawan. The show also included weekly news, maternal health quizzes, and the opportunity for listeners to call in and share their opinions and experiences. Listeners could win prizes for correctly answering quiz questions.
Outcome
The low density of radio stations in Palawan increased the likelihood of engaging audiences. After partnering with Radio Bandera, a large broadcaster, the intervention increased its community engagement steadily.
As the project progressed, health quiz questions were answered correctly more often, indicating the effectiveness of knowledge translation.
The project has yet to establish concrete evidence of improved sexual and reproductive health for women in Palawan.