October 2021

What We Could Have

Done Differently:
In-depth Interviews with Teen Moms and
Key Recommendations to Reduce Teen Pregnancy
What We Could
Have Done
Differently:
In-depth Interviews
with Teen Moms and
Key Recommendations to
Reduce Teen Pregnancy

October 2021

Editorial Board

Written by:
Amie Perez
Raisa Santos
Preethika Sundararaj
Amina Evangelista Swanepoel
Marcus Swanepoel
Amy Willerford

Layout by:
John Kenneth Zapata

Page Design by:

DISCLAIMER Aaron Moises Bonete
Illustrations, images, and photographs
(collectively, the “Images”) contained
in this document are for general
presentation purposes only and do not in
any way represent the data, persons, and
interviews described. Unless otherwise
stated, the Images are Roots of Health’s
proprietary property.
Table of
Contents
Executive Summary This Report
PAGE 01 PAGE 11

03 Parental/Social Support 11 Recommendations and

04 Past Traumas Resources
05 Consent 11 Department of
07 Abusive Partners Education (DepEd)
08 Knowledge About 12 Department of Health
Contraception (DOH)
09 Barriers to Health 13 The Commission on
Services Population (POPCOM)
10 Reactions to 13 Sangguniang
Preagnancy Kabataan (SK)
14 The Department of
Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD)
About Roots of Health
PAGE 15

About EMpower
PAGE 16

About The Mailman

School of Public Health
PAGE 17
In-depth Interviews with Teen Moms
and Key Recommendations to
Reduce Teen Pregnancy

Executive Summary
Adolescent pregnancy is a persistent issue in the Philippines with
implications for the health and social and economic wellbeing of
young women and girls. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable
to unintended pregnancy due to stigma, relationship dynamics,
and lack of both accurate sexual health knowledge and access to
reproductive health services, among other risk factors.

According to the 2017 National Demographic and Health Survey, 9% of

Filipino women aged 15-19 had begun childbearing: 7% were already
mothers and an additional 2% were pregnant with their first child.
Every year, over 180,000 Filipino girls between the ages of 15 and 19
give birth.

In response to the worsening teen pregnancy situation, in June

2021 the President of the Philippines issued Executive Order 141
which adopts as national policy the implementation of measures
to address the root causes of the rising number of teenage
pregnancies, and mobilizing government agencies to address these.

Despite existing laws that provide for access to contraceptives to the

general public, minors are excluded as they are legally not allowed to
access them without parental consent. This is a significant barrier to
access to contraception, which contributes to high numbers of teen
pregnancy.

Roots of Health’s work over the past 12 years has yielded critical
Background

insights into the issue of teenage pregnancy. It has also allowed us

to learn from, and learn about the young people whom teenage
pregnancy impacts. Pre-test and post-test data from tens of
thousands of young people we have taught since 2012 reveal low
levels of knowledge about sexual and reproductive health (SRH).

01
In-depth Interviews with Teen Moms
and Key Recommendations to
Reduce Teen Pregnancy

For example, 70% of high school students believe that jumping up and
down is an effective way to avoid pregnancy. More than 80% believe
that withdrawal is an effective method of pregnancy prevention.

We wanted to learn more, so we conducted two Youth Surveys (2017

and 2019) among 1,500 Puerto Princesa City Youth aged 15-24. In 2019,
58% of those surveyed said that their first sexual encounter was not
planned, while 12% said that their first sexual encounter was coerced.
More than half, or 64%, said that they did not use a condom in their
last sexual encounter.

In 2020, with support from EMpower’s Girls Fund program, we carried

out a two-part quantitative and qualitative research project in
order to better understand the risk factors that affect adolescent
pregnancy. We issued an anonymous, self-administered survey to
119 adolescent women and girls who have had teen pregnancies
in order to understand their unique situations before becoming
pregnant and identify any common factors that generate a
disproportionate risk of teen pregnancy for some. The survey
assessed risk factors experienced prior to pregnancy including
participants’ family and household functioning, self-esteem,
experiences with romantic and sexual relationships, and any risky
behaviors that participants engaged in. Questions also covered girls’
experiences during their pregnancy including social and financial
support, and their experiences accessing reproductive health
services throughout their adolescence. The results from this research
are in this Quantitative Report.

Once we had completed the quantitative surveys, we recruited

participants who were willing to be part of our qualitative research.
We conducted 23 in-depth interviews to assess a range of factors
associated with teenage pregnancy. Each respondent was
interviewed by a Roots of Health staff member. Interviews lasted from
45 to 90 minutes. These interviews took a deeper dive on the themes
mentioned above to get a better feel of the girls’ lived experiences.

A team of three researchers from Columbia University Mailman

School of Public Health then began a thematic analysis. The
researchers first reviewed the 22 transcripts and made margin
notes to summarize important content. Once familiar with the
transcripts, the researchers developed a codebook that captured
the predominant themes of the transcript. The team each coded one
of the transcripts with the preliminary codebook, compared code
application, and edited the codebook to appropriately reflect their
coding strategy. Consultation with fellow researchers strengthened
the consistency and relevance of coding and analysis. The results
from the interviews and the analysis are in this Qualitative Report.
Background

02
In-depth Interviews with Teen Moms Photo: Al Jazeera, “The Philippines’ Baby Factory”
and Key Recommendations to
Reduce Teen Pregnancy

Parental/Social Support

The research demonstrated that a lack of support from parents,

families, and larger social support networks can increase a girl’s risk
of unplanned pregnancy.

• Participants discussed the extent

of social support (i.e. emotional
support or someone with whom to
communicate about a problem)
they had at home.

• Some participants did not have

supportive families, and found more
support from their friends or from
siblings.
Summary of Findings From Descriptive Analysis

• This neglect also stemmed from the

loss of support following separation
or death of a loved one.

• Some of the girls reported leaning

on their boyfriends or sexual
partners more because of feelings
of loneliness and isolation.

• Several respondents stated that

the lack of support from their
families prompted them to become
pregnant or have a family of their
own.

03
In-depth Interviews with Teen Moms
and Key Recommendations to
Reduce Teen Pregnancy

Interviewer: Who in your family would you talk to when you

needed support or had a problem at school, about yourself,
or about other people?

Respondent: None. I talk to friends instead.

Interviewer: Why wouldn’t you talk about your problems
with your family?

Respondent: It felt awkward. I don’t know. I didn’t feel

comfortable doing so... They might get mad at me. Or they
may not take my problems seriously. (Respondent 26)

“Ever since I was a kid my older sister was There was this one
always by my side; we both like the same time when I told
things. She also supported me - that is why
I felt affectionate towards her and I would
my mother that I
usually open up to her. I do not frequently had a crush but she
talk to my parents because I am not a clingy immediately asked
child, and they are not sweet to us. I would if I wanted to get
always think that they are only there to provide married already.
everything in order for us to live but not to
give emotional support. There was this one
time when I told my mother that I had a crush
but she immediately asked if I wanted to get
married already. I got scared and said no so I
just did not open up about it especially when I
had a boyfriend.” (Respondent 17)

Past Traumas

Many of the girls and young women reported having experienced

trauma from their fathers, families, and/or their partners. The trauma
described included verbal, mental, emotional, sexual, and physical
abuse.
Summary of Findings From Descriptive Analysis

The data show that girls who have experienced trauma may be
more at risk of developing a sexual relationship earlier, and they
have less ability to decline unprotected sex even if they did not feel
comfortable engaging in it.

Mental health research makes it clear that girls who have

experienced past traumas need support and therapy to overcome
these. If previous abuse has not been addressed, girls may be more
at risk of entering or staying in abusive relationships.

“When we were just kids, he [our father]

would drink almost every day. He’s kind when
he doesn’t have alcohol in his system. But
whenever he gets drunk, he would physically
hurt my mother and claim that my mother
was cheating. But that’s not true at all. He
would choke my mother.

04
In-depth Interviews with Teen Moms
and Key Recommendations to
Reduce Teen Pregnancy

We wanted to help, but we were still kids that

time and didn’t have any power to break their
fight. Whenever that happened, I would sleep
in our neighbor’s house. My mother didn’t 20% felt threatened
want to separate from my father at that time into having sex
because she didn’t want us to grow up in a before their first
broken family. But we were already grown-
ups the last time my father got violent, so
pregnancy.
my mother decided that she’d had enough. “
(Respondent 7)

Respondent: I was separated from the rest of them because…

our father would touch us indecently. That’s also the reason why
we’re not that close with him.

Interviewer: Around which grade were you in when that

happened? Or was it when you were in highschool?

Respondent: I was in Grade 9.

Interviewer: So that triggered you to leave?

Respondent: Yes. (Respondent 13)

In the Philippines, the legal age of consent is 12 years old. There have
been recent moves to increase this age, and in September 2021 the
Senate passed a bill raising the age of statutory rape to 16 yrs old
on its third and final reading. It is possible the age of consent will be
raised by the end of 2021. While there are existing laws against sexual
abuse and exploitation of minors, girls and their families are unlikely
Summary of Findings From Descriptive Analysis

to press charges due to lack of resources and social support.

But the legal basis of the age of consent is just one aspect of a larger
problem about consent. Young people and adults alike have not
been formally taught the importance of practicing consent when
engaging in sexual activity.

A third of the quantitative survey respondents reported having felt

pressure to have sex or otherwise perform a sexual act prior to their
first pregnancy, and 20% felt threatened into having sex before their
first pregnancy.

The survey revealed that young girls in Palawan are frequently

exposed to nonconsensual sexual encounters.

7% 60% 33%

Very Willing Somewhat Willing Very Unwilling

05
In-depth Interviews with Teen Moms
and Key Recommendations to
Reduce Teen Pregnancy

• Only 7% of participants reported they were “very willing” to

engage in their first sex.
• 60% shared they were either “somewhat willing” or “a little willing/
went with the flow”.
• 33% shared they felt pressured or were very unwilling to engage in
their first sex. Many participants shared that they felt unprepared
to begin having sex with their partner.
• Others expressed being anxious about the risk of getting
pregnant.

Respondent: He then started initiating and I was overpowered;

started saying that he wanted us to have sex. I he’s a male and
resisted because I really didn’t want something
to happen. He started touching me. I was
stronger than
overpowered; he’s a male and stronger than me after all. So
me after all. So the unexpected happened. the unexpected
I actually did not know why I hadn’t thought happened.
of shouting for help that time. After that, I
asked him to take me home immediately.
After a week, I didn’t talk to him, and he was
apologizing the whole time. I told him, “Don’t do
that next time. Ask my consent if I really want
to have sex or not.” The second time around,
we did the deed in his house again. That
happened a week after we did it the first time.
I had no choice anymore. He claimed that he
already got something out of me anyway.

Interviewer: What did he mean when he told

you that he already got something?

Respondent: My virginity. He said that he

already got it, so I already had nothing to hide.
Summary of Findings From Descriptive Analysis

Maybe I was still young at that time, but the

feeling of having a boyfriend, you would think
that he’s really the one for you. I was quite
sure that he really was the one. I had seen it
in his actions and gestures. I really don’t like it
when someone promises to do something but
doesn’t. He wasn’t like that. He spoiled me with
surprises. (Respondent 18)

Sex education in schools and external programming should include

a curriculum emphasizing the importance of consent in sexual
relationships. These interventions should specifically engage with
young men, as participants frequently reported feeling pressured
by their partner to start having sex, often unprotected. Emphasizing
consent in interventions targeting boys and young men is an
important step towards ensuring teen girls are able to feel safe and
secure when they engage in their first sexual relationships.

06
In-depth Interviews with Teen Moms
and Key Recommendations to
Reduce Teen Pregnancy
Abusive Partners

• Several respondents reported having abusive partners.

• 16% of survey respondents said their male partners prevented
them from practicing effective pregnancy prevention.
• The qualitative interviews reveal unequal power dynamics
within adolescent relationships that influence the health seeking
behavior of young girls.
• Participants’ responses reveal that male partners often refuse
contraception use in the relationship, which generates a
significant barrier to adolescent girls seeking any form of
reproductive health services, including but not limited to
contraception.
• Several participants shared that they did not wish to get
pregnant and sought out contraception secretly, only to have it
taken away or ruined by their male partners.

Interviewer: Are you able to talk about sex, contraceptives, or

pregnancies with your current partner?

Respondent: Not really, because he wanted to I took pills

have a baby too. I give too much to other people, secretly before,
but I don’t really want to have another baby yet then he found
because I already had one, and it’s so difficult to
out and threw
take care of. I took pills secretly before, then he
found out and threw them out. I couldn’t them out.
remember the number of the last pill I took.
I didn’t know what else to do because I couldn’t
afford going to doctors. (Respondent 9)

I had thought about [using contraceptives], and my boyfriend kept

telling me that he guarantees that I won’t get pregnant, and
I believed it. He also told me that if ever that happens he would
Summary of Findings From Descriptive Analysis

accept the responsibility. But then when I told him I was, he wouldn’t
believe me. At first he was supportive but eventually stopped
providing support. He now lives with a different family of his own,
and I did not take his surname for my child. (Respondent 19)

It was partly my fault too because I trusted my partner too much.

Because when we were together, I told my partner that I should take
contraceptives. But he said that I should not take contraceptives and
that he will be the one to adjust, that he will just do the withdrawal
method. Because I loved him, I trusted him. (Respondent 1)

Interviewer: Before you got pregnant did you access any services for
your reproductive health?

Respondent: No I didn’t... I trusted him so much that he wouldn’t get

me pregnant.
(Respondent 15)

07
In-depth Interviews with Teen Moms
and Key Recommendations to
Reduce Teen Pregnancy

The barriers to critical health services created by male partners

highlights the need for interventions that engage with young
men and that emphasize the autonomy of women to seek the
reproductive health services they need, as well as the utility of
contraception in sexually active relationships. Interventions should
also focus on practicing consent and using contraception to ensure
sexual partners are practicing safe sex and the autonomy of young
girls is upheld.

Knowledge About Contraception

The limited contraceptive knowledge demonstrated in the

quantitative survey and discussed throughout the qualitative
interviews underscores the urgent need for accurate sex education
that includes a variety of contraception options and how to access
each. Unfortunately, the sex education that participants received was
highly limited if existent at all.

• 53% of participants believed that natural family planning was an

effective means of pregnancy prevention.
• Participants rarely reported using effective contraception during
sex.
• Many girls did not start using contraception even after their
pregnancies.
• Family members oftentimes equated pregnancy with entering
a relationship or marriage and did not discuss contraceptive
methods to prevent repeat pregnancy.

Our analysis revealed that respondents whose parents discussed

contraception with them had greater trust in contraception and
reduced fear of side effects. Interventions should emphasize the
importance of parental communication of contraception to reduce
mistrust and increase the uptake of effective methods of pregnancy
prevention.
Summary of Findings From Descriptive Analysis

Interviewer: Who told you that you were too young to take pills?

Respondent: The people at our boarding house. [They] also [told me]
that pills could cause one’s uterus to be unable to bear a child and
that it’s not for young kids like me. (Respondent 16)

He would just tell me to jump a couple of times and then

drink plenty of water so that I would urinate to expel the
sperm inside. I thought it was effective but then I still
got pregnant.

08
In-depth Interviews with Teen Moms
and Key Recommendations to
Reduce Teen Pregnancy

Barriers to Health Services

Our research found that young people experienced barriers to

accessing health services before, during, and after their pregnancies.
Health services such as contraception and family planning
counseling by health workers are effective tools for prevention of
adolescent pregnancy; however, the interviews revealed that very
few adolescents accessed these health services before they got
pregnant. The primary reasons that respondents shared they did
not access health services were: partner pressure against seeking
reproductive health services, a fear of judgment at health centers,
lack of knowledge, time and distance barriers, and an inability to pay
for services.

Interviewer: Before getting pregnant, did you

access reproductive healthcare services? Like
contraceptives?

Respondent: I did not because I feared I would

experience side effects. And also, my partner
strongly opposed the idea. (Respondent 8)

Interviewer: Before you were pregnant, did you

have access to reproductive services?

Respondent: I did not have any.

Interviewer: What were the reasons why you

didn’t have these services?

Respondent: [Contraceptives] were available [Contraceptives]

at the health centers, but I did not know were available at
Summary of Findings From Descriptive Analysis

that I would be needing them at that time.

And people at the health centers tend to
the health centers,
know each other. When asking for services but I did not know
or contraceptives, they would ask if I have a that I would be
husband. If I told them that I had a boyfriend, needing them at
they would think it’s inappropriate. So I did not that time.
pursue it. (Respondent 13)

Interviewer: What were some reasons you

were unable to receive these services?

Respondent: Maybe because I was a teenager

then, and I didn’t have much knowledge
about contraception and sex. I was afraid that
people might judge me because I was still a
teen. (Respondent 5)

09
In-depth Interviews with Teen Moms
and Key Recommendations to
Reduce Teen Pregnancy

Reactions to Pregnancy

Approximately half of the quantitative survey respondents reported

hiding their pregnancy due to feelings of shame for having an early
pregnancy. This was assessed further in the in-depth interviews with
participants.

58% Not Bullied 42% Bullied

42% of participants stated they had been bullied by other individuals

while they were pregnant. They most frequently experienced bullying
from relatives and neighbors.

33% Relatives

34% Neighbors

28% Bullied in
School

24% Outcasted
by Classmates

30% Shamed
by Teachers
Summary of Findings From Descriptive Analysis

Prevalence of bullying and shaming in school due to pregnancy

were consistent among respondents. 28% and 24% of respondents
that were still in school during their pregnancy reported having been
bullied and outcasted by classmates, respectively. Similarly, 30% of
students reported having been shamed by their teacher.

10
In-depth Interviews with Teen Moms Photo: Al Jazeera, “The Philippines’ Baby Factory”
and Key Recommendations to
Reduce Teen Pregnancy

This Report
Based on the data generated from our research, we identified
key recommendations for the major stakeholders in the fight to
reduce teen pregnancy. These are below, divided up by relevance
to each of the stakeholder groups. We have also included resources
from stakeholders and our own sample training manuals that
different agencies can use to improve the skills and knowledge of
their constituents or teams in the area of adolescent sexual and
reproductive health and providing young people with youth-friendly
services.
Summary of Findings From Descriptive Analysis

Recommendations and Resources

Department of Education (DepEd)

Findings Recommendation Resources

The gaps in sex education • Implement comprehensive Teacher Training Lessons

received by participants were
obvious throughout each of the
interviews. Many participants
themselves wished they had used
contraception when they began
having sex. However, adolescent
girls face numerous barriers that
impede their ability to effectively
prevent pregnancy. These
responses highlight the need for
enhanced sex education that
includes accurate information
regarding different contraception
options
sexuality education (CSE) Plans
for young people. Sex
education should outline
all contraceptive options
available to young people
to ensure that as they begin
having sex they are doing so
safely and preventing any
unplanned pregnancies.
Furthermore, sex education
in schools and external
programming should include
messaging emphasizing
the importance of consent

11
In-depth Interviews with Teen Moms
and Key Recommendations to
Reduce Teen Pregnancy
Findings
and how to use and access
them. It should also debunk
misinformation surrounding
pregnancy prevention.
Additionally, sex education should
include strategies on partner
communication and highlight
the importance of consent in all
aspects of romantic
relationships.
30% of participants were bullied
by a teacher.
The level of preparedness when
beginning to have sex was varied.
Several participants expressed
they were ready to engage in
sex with their partner because
of their love, trust, and desire for
a family with their partner. Other
participants discussed how they
were ready to start having sex
with their partner but were not
prepared to do so safely (i.e.,
using contraception). Neither
were they prepared for the
consequences of unprotected
sex.
Respondents whose parents
discussed contraception with
them had greater trust in
contraception and reduced fear
of side effects. Interventions
should emphasize the importance
of parental communication of
contraception to reduce mistrust
and increase the uptake of
effective methods of pregnancy
prevention.
Summary of Findings From Descriptive Analysis
Department of Health (DOH)
Findings
17% of participants waited until
their third trimester to have their
first prenatal check-up.
Several participants did not have
positive experiences when visiting
health facilities. Among these
negative experiences were long
lines at barangay health centers,
judgment from bystanders,
and condescending treatment
by health workers for getting
pregnant at a young age.
12
Recommendation Resources
in sexual relationships.
These interventions should
specifically engage with young
men as participants frequently
reported feeling pressured by
their partners to start having
sex, often unprotected.
• Train teachers in teaching CSE.
• Ensure that teachers
are compassionate and
nonjudgmental in providing
education and support to
young people.
• Allow Guidance Counselors to
distribute condoms to at-risk
youth and make referrals to
health centers.
• Include reproductive health
topics and communication in
Parent Teacher Association
(PTA) programming.
Recommendation Resources
• Implement the KADA Network KADA Network Playbook
Guidelines to ensure that
government health centers ROH’s Youth-Friendly
are youth-friendly. Clinic Assessment Tool
• Train and incentivize Barangay Health Worker
Barangay Health Center staff Training Module
to provide youth-friendly,
non-judgemental services. Rural Health Unit Staff
Training Module
• Ensure that all healthcare
workers are compassionate
and nonjudgmental to
reduce stigma on young
people seeking reproductive
health services.
In-depth Interviews with Teen Moms
and Key Recommendations to
Reduce Teen Pregnancy
The Commission on Population (POPCOM)
Findings
Respondents whose parents
discussed contraception with
them had greater trust in
contraception and reduced fear
of side effects. Interventions
should emphasize the importance
of parental communication on
contraception to reduce mistrust
and increase the uptake of
effective methods of pregnancy
prevention.
Family members often equated
entering a relationship with
pregnancy or marriage and
did not discuss contraceptive
methods to prevent pregnancy.
Participants’ responses reveal
Summary of Findings of Advanced Analysis
that male partners often
refuse contraceptive use in the
relationship, which generates a
significant barrier to adolescent
girls seeking any form of
reproductive health services,
including but not limited to
contraception.
Sangguniang Kabataan (SK)
Findings
17% of participants waited until
their third trimester to have their
first prenatal check-up.
13
Recommendation Resources
• Implement the Konektado
Tayo program widely,
ensuring that the
reproductive health
conversations include
discussions on contraception.
• Through the Konektado
Tayo program, provide
parents with research
that demonstrates that
comprehensive sex
education helps young
people delay sexual activity.
• Through the “It’s Ok to
Delay!” program, educate
young people on all their
contraceptive options,
stressing not only that they
can delay, but also that
they can use contraception
before childbearing and/or
marriage.
• Recognizing that “you
can’t manage what you
can’t measure,” track
adolescent contraceptive
use throughout the country
to know baseline adolescent
contraceptive use in the
Philippines. Once a baseline
is established, set goals for
increasing contraceptive
use among sexually active
adolescents.
• Develop a program for boys
and men in order to enhance
responsible partnership and
fatherhood.
Recommendation Resources
Implement reproductive health Sangguniang Kabataan
outreach programs. To reduce ASRH Orientation Manual
barriers to health services,
conduct community outreach
In-depth Interviews with Teen Moms
and Key Recommendations to
Reduce Teen Pregnancy

Findings Recommendation Resources

targeting young women and

girls to inform them on where
and how to access free or
low cost reproductive health
services or other social support
services. This intervention should
include referrals to accurate
online information and services
available to adolescents.

Several participants did not have Ensure that barangay health

positive experiences when visiting centers are providing youth-
health facilities. Among these friendly services.
negative experiences were long
lines at barangay health centers,
judgment from bystanders,
and condescending treatment
by health workers for getting
pregnant at a young age.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)

Findings Recommendation Resources

Respondents whose parents • Include guidance on parental Parent Training Module

discussed contraception with communications about
them had greater trust in reproductive health in Family
contraception and reduced fear Development Sessions.
of side effects. Interventions
should emphasize the importance
of parental communication of
contraception to reduce mistrust
and increase the uptake of
effective methods of pregnancy
prevention.

• Incorporate training on
The gaps in sex education
Adolescent Sexual and
received by participants were
Reproductive Health in
obvious throughout each of the
Summary of Findings of Advanced Analysis

Youth Development
interviews. Many participants
Sessions.
themselves wished they had
used contraception when they
• Develop programming
began having sex. However,
that will support and
adolescent girls face numerous
protect girls.
barriers that impede their
ability to effectively prevent
pregnancy. These responses
highlight the need for enhanced
sex education that includes
accurate information regarding
different contraception options
and how to use and access
them. It should also debunk
misinformation surrounding
pregnancy prevention.
Additionally, sex education should
include strategies on partner
communication and highlight
the importance of consent in all
aspects of romantic relationships.

14
In-depth Interviews with Teen Moms
and Key Recommendations to
Reduce Teen Pregnancy

About Roots of Health

Photo: Marcus Swanepoel

Also known as Ugat ng Kalusugan, Roots of Health works to

empower women, young people and families in Palawan,
Philippines to lead healthy reproductive lives by providing
rights- and results-based educational and clinical services.

Since its inception in 2009 and through the onslaught of the

COVID-19 pandemic, Roots of Health has positively impacted
the lives of more than 171,000 women and young people
by improving their reproductive health and decreasing
the number of unplanned pregnancies and HIV incidence
through comprehensive sexuality education and access to
modern contraceptives through a clinical services program.

To address teen pregnancy, Roots of Health provides young

people with comprehensive sexuality education in person
and online. The organization also provides nonjudgmental,
youth-friendly contraceptive services in communities and
two clinics, including one designated specifically for young
people aged 24 years old and below. Roots of Health also
provides training and technical support to key stakeholder
partners on the basics of adolescent sexual and reproductive
health.

Roots of Health is registered in the United States as a 501(c)3

nonprofit organization.
In the Philippines, Ugat ng Kalusugan is accredited by the
Department of Health, the Commission on Population,
the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the
Key Recommendations

Provincial Government of Palawan, and the City of Puerto

Princesa.

15
 About EMpower
Photo: Marcus Swanepoel

EMpower sits at the nexus of two worlds — finance and

youth leadership — where they put smart money behind
smart solutions. By connecting insights across silos, sectors
and generations, they bring together the contributions of
many:AThey work alongside young people — the heart and
soul of their mission. Young voices and experiences shape
all that they do. Through young people’s eyes, they can
see current realities, possibilities for a new reality and a
collaborative path to get there.

• They work alongside finance professionals — an engine

for change. They help channel the finance sector’s
resources toward better, faster and bolder investing
in the young leaders emerging right now, offering a
range of engagement from light-touch giving to deeper
connections with youth and communities.

• They work alongside grantee partners and youth

development peers — the local experts. Their partners
know better than anyone what’s really happening in their
communities, and have powerful insights around what it
takes to put big ideas into action. EMpower learns from
and with their partners, combining partner local expertise
with their global knowledge to forge new possibilities for
youth.

EMpower has been weaving these contributions together for

20 years — and they’re just getting started. Their work today
Key Recommendations

builds upon the best of their legacy: high-touch connections,

locally-driven grant making and a curation of global best
practices. As they move into the next decade, they are
deepening their impact through more and bigger grants,
made better through youth-centered decision making and an
expanded footprint on the ground. At a time when our world
needs shared efforts more than ever, EMpower is proud to
connect many forces for change to create a better world.

16
In-depth Interviews with Teen Moms
and Key Recommendations to
Reduce Teen Pregnancy

About The Mailman

School of Public Health
Photo: Marcus Swanepoel

For nearly 100 years, the Columbia University Mailman School of

Public Health has been a global leader in advancing education,
research and practice to prevent disease and disability
and improve the health of entire populations. Since 1922, the
Mailman School has been at the forefront of public health
research, education, and community collaboration. Addressing
everything from chronic disease to HIV/AIDS to healthcare
policy, the School tackles today’s pressing public health issues,
translating research into action.

Every year, Roots of Health hosts graduate students from the

Mailman School for their practicum field placement. This is an
opportunity for students to apply the concepts and methods
of social science and public health learned in the classroom to
actual public health problems.
Key Recommendations

17
 Photo: Marcus Swanepoel

4/F Karldale Bldg.,

National Highway, San Pedro
Puerto Princesa City
Palawan, Philippines 5300

+63-998-589-4159
info@rootsofhealth.org
rootsofhealth.org

@rootsofhealth