Asmae – VPHCS end of project document released

An end of the project document (EOPD) of the VPHCS three-year projects with the Asmae – Association Soeur Emmanuelle in France has just been released.

The 28-page document in magazine form chronicles the three projects implemented with the support of Asmae from March 2008 to December 2010 to improve the health and welfare of three urban poor communities in Metro Cebu, namely: Sitio St. Mary Grace in Barangay Talamban, Cebu City, Sitio Back of Matimco in Barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City, and Sitio Salvage in Barangay Looc, Lapu-lapu City.

The VPHCS also reaped huge gains in terms of organizational strengthening and capability building to pursue its programs and services in a more systematic, effective and efficient manner.

One project evolved into the second and then into the third. The first project, “Capability Building on Community-based Health Programs in Cebu: Community Diagnosis” in March 2008 to August 2008 was followed by the second project “Promotion of Environmental Health and Child Nutrition in Community-based Health Programs in Cebu and Strengthening the Sustainability Aspect of the VPHCS” in April 2009 to December 2009 and the third project, “Strengthening and Sustaining the Community-based Health Programs in Cebu” in January 2010 to December 2010.”

The projects worked in partnership with the people’s organizations, including the St. Mary Grace Neighborhood Association in Barangay Talamban, the Kaming Lumulupyo walay Sandigan (KALUWASAN) in Sitio Back of Matimco, and the Anakpawis – Looc Chapter in Sitio Salvage.

Generally, the whole project is part and parcel of the community-based health programs (CBHP) building endeavors of the VPHCS for the past several years.

Building and strengthening local capacity has become more urgent with the advent of the national and global trend on health which emphasizes user-fee services and privatization of government health service agencies in the face of the people’s worsening poverty that severely incapacitates them to pay for health care.

The community projects have indeed harnessed the people’s initiatives to map out their own plans and programs to improve the health situation in their communities. With such initiatives proven and embedded in their organizations, the CBHPs in the three sitios continue to this day to be pursued vigorously in order to meet the health needs of the people in the face of the increasing cost of health care and economic crisis facing our country. The project outputs – the health centers, the toilets, the services of the health committees and the improved health-seeking behavior and general health situation of the people shall remain as indelible hallmarks of the project in the years to come.

Project with Asmae ends, programs continue

After nearly two and a half years, the partnership between the Visayas Primary Health Care Services, Inc. (VPHCS) and the Asmae- Association Soeur Emmanuelle drew to a close in December 2010, bearing fruits that have benefitted the residents of three urban poor communities in Metro Cebu and the VPHCS itself in many indelible ways. The communities include Sitio St. Mary Grace in Talamban, Cebu City, Sitio Back of Matimco in Subangdaku, Mandaue City and Sitio Salvage in Looc, Lapu-lapu City.

Such partnership started in March 2008 with the first six-months phase, “Community diagnosis” of the three communities, followed by the second phase “Promotion of Environmental Health and Child Nutrition” and “Strengthening the Sustainability Aspect of the VPHCS” in April 2009 to December 2009 and the third phase, “Strengthening and Sustaining the Community-based Health Programs” in January 2010 to December 2010.”

In the three communities, health committees are now leading their respective people’s organizations in health services such as basic home remedies, health educations, operation blood pressure, processing and dispensing of lagundi syrup, dengue campaign, nutrition program and cleanliness drives. Monthly health educations on topics such as respiratory tract infections, tuberculosis, hypertension and nutrition have continued to be launched in the communities.

In Sitio Back of Matimco and Sitio Salvage, all health activities are conducted in the health centers that were constructed with funds from the project and labor from the people themselves.


Health education in Back of Matimco


Medical check up of health workers in health center in Looc


Health center in Back of Matimco


Feeding program in Back of Matimco

Common and essential Western medicines are also dispensed and sold with a minimal profit. The residents have welcomed this small pharmacy in the health center that has provided them a very accessible source of essential medicines such as Paracetamol, antacids and amoxicillin. Records of patients and activities are also well kept in cabinets inside the health center.

Twenty-one community health workers (CHWs) from the areas were trained in three basic health skills trainings (BHST) I.

The community kitchen which was started in November 2009 continues to this day in order to sustain the feeding program of malnourished children. Feeding is conducted two times a week. More than 130 children in the three communities have benefitted from the nutritional rehabilitation.


Weighing of children in St. Mary Grace


Nutrition program in St. Mary Grace

In Sitio Back of Matimco, the residents united under their people’s organization, the KALUWASAN, using shovels and pails, carried gravel and land from the reclaimed land and dumped them in between and below their houses and in footpaths and alleys to prevent flooding. Environmental campaign for cleanliness has also been sustained by the youth organized under the D’Visioners Youth Organization collecting the trash and putting them in big garbage drums.

In Sitio Back of Matimco, a communal toilet was also constructed in 2010 inside the health center which is open to the public since the health center is always open. The CHWs take turns in manning the center and ensuring the cleanliness of the toilet.

Another communal toilet was constructed in Purok Yellow Bell in Sitio Salvage in Looc. Residents used to defecate in the seashore beside the purok or simply throw their wastes to the murky waters underneath their houses.


























Community toilet in Looc

A great contribution of Asmae to the VPHCS was the fund raising mission it supported which lasted from January to July 2010.


Training on fund raising with Ms. Lani Bayron

A series of three staff development seminars on fund raising was conducted by Ms. Lani Bayron, fund raising specialist contracted by Asmae. The outputs included the following, namely:

• Training needs analysis on fund raising
• Fund raising organizational policies and procedures
• Resource generation plan for 2010
• Assistance on sustainability planning
• Exploration of foreign and local funders
• Marketing plan for Balay Kahimsog
• Knowledge on social enterprise, program marketing and project development and management.
• Participation by the VPHCS executive director in fund raising seminars in March, June 2010 in Manila with Asmae partners
• Prospect of setting up an endowment or buffer fund for VPHCS.

As a result of the mission, the VPHCSI staff members became knowledgeable on fund raising activities and broadened their understanding about fundraising.

The project has ended but its contributions to the welfare of the people in the communities and the organizational capacity of the VPHCS shall always remain.

Training on fund raising conducted

As part of the resource generation and sustainability program of the Visayas Primary Health Care Services, Inc., a series of staff development seminars on fund raising was conducted by the VPHCS with the support of the Asmae-Association Soeur Emmanuelle, a French non-government organization.

Ms. Lani Bayron, fund raising specialist contracted by Asmae, conducted the third series of trainings on fund raising for the staff on May 25- 28, 2010. She elaborated the concepts of program marketing as exemplified in the VPHCS training center Balay Kahimsog. Ms. Bayron assisted the VPHCS staff in formulating a marketing plan for the training center located in Barangay Cambanac, Baclayon, Bohol.

During the seminar, Ms. Bayron further discussed about project development and management.



The fund raising mission supported by Asmae aims to enhance the capacities of the VPHCS to raise funds particularly by developing its understanding of the different sources of funds, providing supportive mechanisms to enable its fundraising team to become more effective in searching for and responding to fundraising opportunities, and supporting the fundraising team of VPHCS in the creation and improvement of adapted fundraising methods and tools.

The first seminar of the VPHCS staff was conducted in January 2010 followed by the second one in April 2010. A seminar on fund raising was also conducted for 15 partners of Asmae in the Philippines in March 2010 in Makati City.

Asmae currently has a partnership with the VPHCS, implementing a project “Promotion of Environmental Health and Child Nutrition in Community-based Health Programs in Cebu” in three communities in Cebu. Another component of the project is the enhancement of the fund raising capacity of the VPHCS in relation with its resource generation and sustainability program.