DATU ODIN SINSUAT—In remote, secluded villages, community volunteers like Jacqueline connect fellow indigenous women to essential health services, augmenting local health efforts on maternal, child, and newborn health.

Jacqueline, a solo mother of seven and a proud Women-Friendly Space facilitator, is a member of the indigenous Teduray tribe of Maguindanao, dwelling in remote areas where health services do not easily come by due to long distance and financial gaps.

In 2022, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) had significantly lower birth rates in health facilities, and assisted by skilled birth attendants compared to other regions, at 39.1% and 42.4%, respectively. 

To address this gap, with the support of the Australian government, UNFPA established five Women-Friendly Spaces (WFS) in the province of Maguindanao, under the Resilient Livelihoods Development project— jointly implemented with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

These spaces offer protection and support to women and girls, and serve as safe havens for rights awareness and advocacy. Trusted members of the community, the WFS facilitators, manage these hubs. They serve as the link to the community—monitoring their health needs, the status of elderly and persons with disabilities, and cases of gender-based violence (GBV) in the area.

Jacqueline works closely with the local midwife to provide the best maternal care they can to indigenous women through regular, house-to-house check-ups to complement local health efforts.

Overcoming terrains and traditions

Doing rounds in the community, in itself, is a challenging task made even more difficult by the rugged terrains, rapid rivers and the unpredictable weather. The journey is filled with challenges,” Jacqueline narrates. “Sometimes, you visit a house on one hill, then have to hike to the next one on a different hill under the intense heat of the sun, all while trekking steep cliffs along the way.”

“There were also times that we would encounter strong rains, worst, we would have to go against strong currents while crossing rivers and arrive at our destinations drenched”, she recalls.
 

And apart from the physical obstacles, there are still misconceptions and practices, rooting from tradition, to overcome. She shared that one of the key challenges is the low demand for health services, especially among pregnant mothers, including the growing hesitancy to immunize their newborns.

“Some in the village would say, we have survived and reached age without vaccine or any check-up in the health centers, yet we are still alive— but in reality, they do not know that we have high mortality of children because they do not seek healthcare”, Jacqueline said.

Addressing fears and misconceptions

As a member of the tribe and a mother herself, Jacqueline can resonate with the mothers in the village. She easily convinces them to avail regular prenatal check-ups, in order to avoid miscarriages and other pregnancy-related complications. During these conversations, she also emphasizes the importance of getting babies immunized, citing the recent measles outbreak that hit the town as caution.

Jacqueline encourages expectant mothers to deliver in birthing facilities where they are assisted by a health worker. She also tells them that they are welcome to stay in the Women-Friendly Space during labor—easing the worry of many pregnant indigenous women opting for home births due to the long distance.

Dr. Anwar Nur, the Chief Municipal Doctor, recognizes the work of WFS volunteers in the far-flung communities. “They were very instrumental because our rural health staff are not enough, especially when we were combatting the measles outbreak and we had a massive immunization campaign”.

“They really help us a lot in the health programme of the government even going beyond and tackling gender sensitivity issues among others”

A single mom with open arms for her community

She shared that being involved and trained as a facilitator has brought her a lot of strength and self-confidence. As a single mother with no definite income, the allowance she receives as a facilitator helps her provide for her seven kids. And despite having her hands full of responsibilities, Jacqueline’s arms are still wide open to those in need. 

“Raising my kids and providing for their daily needs is tough, but the fulfillment I get from helping my tribe is already a priceless gift, " Jacqueline smiles.

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Written by Ferdh Cabrera