“This is for my children because I want them to have a better future,” said Rowena, a 25-year-old mother of three, who comes from a poor indigenous community in Bukidnon, after getting a contraceptive implant during a health fair in Valencia City.

Rowena is one of over 500 women from indigenous communities in Mindanao who have availed of the contraceptive implant since April this year. The implant is a long-acting family planning method, which is part of the family planning options made accessible to families in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas covered by the Indigenous Peoples Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and Nutrition (IP-MNCHN) project of the United Nations Population Fund.

With the support of the European Union, the project addresses the reproductive health and family planning needs of the indigenous cultural communities (ICCs) in Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur; Carmen, North Cotabato; Kitaotao, Bukidnon; Montevista, Compostela Valley; and Binicalan, Agusan del Sur.

“My husband and I decided to avail of the implant because we now want to plan our family. Life is so hard for poor people like us, the lumads, who normally have so many children,” said Rowena, speaking in the local dialect. Rowena’s family is from the municipality of San Fernando where her husband works as a farmer.

She hopes that by being able to manage her fertility, the family will be able to manage their resources so they can send their children to school, feed them better and take care of their health.

Dr. Maria Algerlina Edma, Municipal Health Officer of San Fernando, is among the doctors trained to perform the implant procedure for women in the ICCs. “The implant is acceptable to the IPs (indigenous peoples) and the (health fairs) is a good opportunity for them (to avail of the free contraceptive) since it is a bit expensive. I hope that with government support and commitment from various agencies, (the implant) will be made accessible for all Filipino women who will opt for it,” she said.

At the health fair in Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur, Maricel, a 30-year-old woman with six children had to cross a raging river and muddy mountains to be able to have the contraceptive implant. She hails from Barangay Labangon, the farthest village in Dumingag.

Maricel learned about the family planning method from a midwife. She heaved a sigh of relief after the procedure, saying she doesn’t have to worry of unplanned pregnancies anymore.

A study conducted by the IP-MNCHN project showed that majority of IP women are in favour of family planning to ensure that they are better able to take care of their children. A parallel study conducted by the UNFPA affirmed the IP’s acceptance of family planning.

One of the project partners, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) ensures respect and recognition of IP culture and beliefs, while pursuing objectives of the program, which is aligned with the MNCHN policies and principles of the Department of Health.

For more information, contact:

Estelito L. Ocampo, IP MNCHN Project Communication Specialist, Tel. No. (090) 725-6133

Arlene Calaguian Alano, UNFPA Communication Officer, E-mail: alano@unfpa.org, Tel. No. (02) 901-0100