hiv

Human Immunodeficiency Virus

About this Essay Project Team – PAGE 2

Problem, Objective &
This Essay is presented to Outcomes– PAGE 3
Project Description– PAGE 4
Professor Danura Miriyagalla
Organization’s
Capacity- PAGE 5
In partial fulfillment of the requirements
Our Partners- PAGE 6
Risk Management- PAGE 7
for the International Project Management

December 2020
Meet the Project Team
Roles are being identified based on the qualifications and
work experiences of each member.
The Project Manager has a strong background in
administrative management, organization, and governance.
She is in-charge of the overall supervision of the project.
The Problem Analyst has a full understanding of the
country's health status due to his work as a government
servant. His experiences as an evaluator of local governments
have built a strong foundation of contextual knowledge at the
grassroots level. His potential as a community leader also
provided a framework for capacity and relationship building
for civil society groups. He is capacitated to lead the
identification of problems and the possible solutions to
undertake.
The Risk Management Analyst is a young techno-preneur
with strong information systems knowledge as educational
background. She is well-versed in risk management due to
some applied theories during and after her baccalaureate
education. She is also responsible in monitoring and
evaluation of the project.
And lastly, the External Network Analyst has vast experience
in partnerships and linkages. His understanding of mutual
agreement can be observed in his experiences with data
analysis. His networking skills will define a clear bond from
all agencies concerned like the participation of education,
health, universities and other stakeholders.
The group is mostly composed of researchers, extensionists,
and technology experts. The rightful identification of roles
will ensure the project is implemented efficiently and
effectively.
International Project Management
GETTING TO KNOW THEM BETTER.
Project Manager
Xiaohui Chen is currently taking a master's degree in
Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon
University. Before that, she had a master's degree in
Administrative Management in China. Specifically, she
had research experience on social organizations and
governance.
Project Team Member (Problem Analyst)
Keith Censoro graduated as a government scholar
with a bachelor’s degree in Information Systems and
earned his master’s degree in Computer Science. Also, he
earned a diploma in teaching and worked as a teacher for
several years. He co-founded a youth organization and
received several awards in research and community
service. Currently, he is working as a Budget and
Management Specialist at the Department of Budget and
Management, Regional Office VI while taking public policy
and management degree.
Project Team Member (Risk Management
Analyst)
Yaheng Wang is currently taking a master's degree in
Information Technology Management. Before that, she
had a bachelor's degree in information systems and
information management in China.
Project Team Member (External Network
Analyst)
Hongsen Lai Majored in Information Management and
Information System during the undergraduate period and
has research experience related to data analysis.
2
 The Problem
The high increase of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) cases among the
youth is an alarming health problem in the Western Visayas, Philippines today.
Based on the data presented by the Health Department, in March 2019, at least
one (1) was diagnosed with HIV every nine (9) hours. Given this high rate of
infection, it is highly probable that 2020 would be another year of HIV
increasing number from last year’s 11,427 recorded cases (DOH, 2019) of which
28% is from Western Visayas with 3,175 people.
Several factors have been identified that worsened the rate of infections among
young people. The limited access to rightful information has contributed to the
ignorance and curiosity of the youth to engage in unprotected sex (PN, 2019).
This can be associated with the strong contradiction of the Catholic church for
the inclusion of proper teaching on sexual education at school (Cathnews, 2010).
Group 2
Moreover, the aggressive movement of the youth towards paid sex activities is the
result of weak responsible parenthood that can be linked due to economic
deprivation, social isolation, and poverty (NYC, 2018). Lack of government support
can further be observed due to a shortage of healthcare facilities and public utility
dislocations. Thus, it created a huge gap between the provision of health services
for HIV prevention and control among the youth sector (SHIP, 2018).
Objective and
Expected Outcomes
To address this health concern, the Project Team has concentrated on setting an
overall objective of reducing the number of HIV cases among the youth in the
Western Visayas Region, Philippines. This can only be achieved through a
collaborative effort across multiple sectors such as government intervention and
societal participation.
The team believes that in building a community of learned people, we can visibly
attain some outcomes such as the increase in the awareness rate of youth through
proper access to rightful information, the level of support from the government,
level of involvement of the citizenry through advocacy groups and community
organizations, and visibility of healthcare facilities and public utilities with free
health services for the youth.
International Project Management 3
 Project Description
We have come up with several solutions and activities to address these
challenging issues. These are:
Government’s Policy Initiatives on HIV Awareness Campaign
for School and Community
In terms of policy initiatives, the Department of Health (DOH) plays a
significant role in this action for raising HIV awareness among schools and
communities. For instance, an HIV/STI Prevention Program launched by the
Department of Health in the Philippines to reduce the transmission of HIV and
STI has already attained several desirable outcomes (GOVPH 2011). Moreover,
it is also a necessary step for increasing rightful information in the Western
Visayas Region by adopting public policies to help the young get rightful and
comprehensive information regarding HIV. For achieving this outcome, the
proposed policy could incorporate relevant HIV topics in health subjects in
schools, such as sex education lecture delivery. Furthermore, the DOH can also
make the advertisement for health awareness on a grassroots. Finally, the DOH
can launch the “HIV Day” in the Western Visayas Region to campaign on HIV
education.
Group 2
Civil Society Organization’s Advocacies on Responsible Parenthood
and Community Counseling
The civil society organization plays a complementary function in dealing with public
issues because it can reach areas that both the public and private agencies cannot. For
example, the Positive Action Foundation Philippines Incorporated (PAFPI), which was
founded in 1998, Philippines aims to provide care and services to people who are living
with HIV/AIDS particularly those who are unemployed due to HIV/AIDS. (GHWA 2020)
Therefore, according to the lack of responsible parenthood, it would be better for NGOs to
involve in advocating responsible parenthood and community counseling. On the one
hand, NGOs can link to schools for providing information on HIV responsible
parenthoods. On the other hand, civil society organizations could invite professional
experts in the HIV context or Person Living with HIV (PLHIV) to deliver the lecture and
provide information to the school. For instance, they can share real cases and HIV
knowledge with the youth, and the experts could also hold consulting sessions on HIV.
Furthermore, a “Parent day” can also be proposed by NGOs to enhance the
responsibilities of parents on HIV education.
Establishing Networks of Healthcare Facilities from Public and
Private Agencies
It is hard for the youth in the Western Visayas Region to access healthcare facilities
efficiently due to insufficient information. Therefore, establishing the network of
healthcare facilities from public and private agencies helps improve the access to
healthcare facilities in this region. First of all, the DOH should provide additional
healthcare facilities to regional health centers and public hospitals. And by providing free
testing equipment and medical treatments for young people can be an effective way to
decrease the potential HIV cases. Additional workforce, including experts, doctors, as well
as nurses will be needed for this case. More importantly, increasing access to HIV
resources in remote or rural areas in the Western Visayas Region is vital for rural people
due to its limited information and resources on HIV.
International Project Management 4

“
We believe that proper parenting, access to
rightful information, and existence of
healthcare facilities can reduce the number
of HIV cases in the Region.
”
Group 2
Organization’s Capacity
Since the problem is related to public health, the Department of Health (DOH) is
responsible to settle this problem. As a branch of the Government, DOH has a relatively
great influence on people. Any health-related initiatives as promoted by DOH mostly
have high acceptance rates from the citizens. Also, healthcare workers under this
Agency are experts who are employed to perform proper counseling, testing, and
treatment (DOH, Healthcare Facilities in the Philippines, 2017). Moreover, DOH as an
implementing Agency can provide a significant impact in policymaking where the
provision of rightful information, contraceptives, condom, and sexual education can
further be enhanced and implemented.
However, there are some internal weaknesses. Because of the increasing rate of HIV
cases (PN, 2019), the shortfall in treatment facilities took place. To make matters
worse, the COVID crisis enlarged this gap. Also, the weak integration of HIV-related
services into the healthcare system is evident in the Region. Concerning funding, the
Local Government Units (LGUs) only provide 1% statutory budget allocation to combat
HIV/AIDS at the grassroots level (DBM, 2015).
Data Analytics can be of great influence in awakening DOH to effectively provide
immediate solutions to address this health concern through proper funding,
prioritization of health facilities infrastructure, employment of additional medical
experts, and robust campaign to institutions and communities. This can also be
attained through inter-agency participation such as the Department of Education
(DepEd) to cater to sexual education for the youth. Moreover, the Commission on
Higher Education (CHED) can be a reliable source of professional advice and
consultation due to their strong interest in research, production, instruction, and
extension. Alongside this, non-governmental groups can also be tapped to exercise their
intention towards their advocacies. It will be a massive structural framework of
participation, but the team will stand to be the link and the bridge to connect the gap
because we cannot achieve this without proper engagement and cooperation.
International Project Management 5
 Our Partners
For partners, there are three main key actors: Government agencies, civil
society organizations, and funding institutions.

The Government

The Government plays a vital role in the accountability of the authorities

through policy formulation and supervision. Inter-agency cooperation
through creates a task force can be made to provide a framework that will
address proper sexual education for the youth. Besides, the government is
responsible to supervise hospitals’ procedures to ensure that the youth is
exposed and has access to formal treatment. As the project team is mostly
composed of researchers, we need to help the government realize the
current situation and deficiencies during the implementation of policies
using strong data analysis and research.

Civil Society Organizations

The responsibility of NGOs and other private agencies is to organize

relative activities. In this fight, citizen’s engagement and participation are
significant. The power of NGOs and CSOs to influence the public and to
provide alternative solutions to address this health concern is evident since
civil groups were established as advocacy-driven forces in society.

Funding Institutions

NGOs and even the government need external funding sources to

implement programs, projects, and activities. The funding institutions play
an important role in achieving societal goals. They serve as fuel to sustain
Advocates group spearheaded the HIV Awareness Campaign in chosen
advocacies and implement community projects.
public elementary and secondary schools in the Region.

6
Group 2 International Project Management 6
 Youth are scattered individuals, and they are also the subject with the highest

Risk Management
Due to the uncertainty of health awareness, risk management is an important
phase to establish. The project team has identified some potential risks and
divided the risk management framework into 4 key subjects: 1) The participation
of the Religious Group, 2) the level of participation from Non-Governmental
Organizations, 3) The level of governmental support, and 4) the engagement of
the youth.
Religion is a potential risk of sex education. The Philippines is the only Christian
nation in Asia. 92.5% of the population is Christian, which believes sex is
immoral before marriage (Scroope). Therefore, it’s forbidden to discuss sex before
marriage, let alone sex education in schools. Religion is inevitable and
unchangeable. So, one way to mitigate this risk is by having alternative
solutions, such as parental counseling, which can be handled privately.
Providing timely and sufficient resources is a huge risk for NGOs. Activities are
the most efficient way of improving public awareness of HIV and spreading
knowledge. However, NGOs in the Philippines lack a reliable resource base. Few
agencies provide training in resource mobilization (ADB). Providing sufficient
financial resources and professional personnel resources are risks for NGOs. To
manage these risks, NGOs have several ways to do so. First, it can increase the
funds from the private sector by advertising. Second, it can get donations from
individuals through good activities’ theme and self-reputation.
risk. Their neglect will directly lead to an increase in the number of HIV cases.
Every day, nearly 6000 young people aged 15 to 24 are infected with HIV.
However, only a small number of people know they are infected (Unicef).
Unknowing and concealing the disease due to immaturity of mind will not only
damage one's health but also make the government underestimate the number of
infections and take incorrect actions. The ideal state is to eliminate this risk.
Youth can learn from the youth forum and are driven by influential people. It is
also an expectation for youth to speak out their feelings and know their status.
These four are the main risks that the project team will encounter in achieving
the overall goal of reducing HIV infection among young people in the Philippines.
Although not all of them can be eliminated, risk management can help reduce the
probability of occurrence and dreadful consequences. Based on the risk
probability and risk cost, the most influential risk factor of HIV infection is
youth. The second is religion. The last is NGOs and government. These are the
project team’s target group, as long as they have a sense of self-protection, the
infection can be reduced. Religion is the biggest risk for young people to receive
an education. Government and NGOs have an indirect impact on youth.

Communication efficiency and strong supervision are risks for the government.
Internally, the efficiency and effectiveness of the government are hard to
estimate. The responsibilities of each department are divided (DOH). It is
difficult to ensure timely delivery when multiple departments are working
together. Externally, because of the decentralization of health in the Philippines,
there will be an oversight when monitoring social organizations, such as
hospitals, schools, and communities, for compliance with rules and regulations
(Cuenca). To mitigate and manage these risks, the government can have staff
training about HIV, increase communication between departments, emphasize
the prioritization on tasks of delivering health care facilities and set up routine
monitoring from the department of health.

Group 2
Works Cited
ADB, Overview of NGOs and Civil Society- the Philippines, Retrieved from
https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/28972/csb-phi.pdf
Chara Scroope(2017), Filipino Culture, Retrieved from https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/
Filipino-culture/Filipino-culture-religion
Janet s.Cuenca(2018, December), Health devolution in the Philippines: Lessons and Insights,
Philippine Institute for Development Studies(PIDS), Discussion paper series NO.2018-36,
Retrieved from https://pidswebs.pids.gov.ph/CDN/PUBLICATIONS/pidsdps1836.pdf

“
Republic of the Philippines-Department of Health(doh.gov.ph), Organizational Chart, Retrieved
from
https://www.doh.gov.ph/organizational-chart
Unicef (2002, June), Young people and HIV/AIDS opportunity in crisis, Retrieved from It’s bad enough that people
https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/youngpeoplehivaids_en_0.pdf
DOH. (2017). Healthcare Facilities in the Philippines.
GOVPH. (2011). HIV/STI Prevention Program | Department of Health website. Doh.gov.ph.
https://www.doh.gov.ph/national-hiv/sti-prevention-program are dying of HIV/AIDS,
Global Health Workforce Alliance. (n.d.). WHO | Positive Action Foundation Philippines,
Inc, Philippines. WHO. Retrieved November 29, 2020, from but no one should die
https://www.who.int/workforcealliance/members_partners/member_list/pafpi/en/ DOH.
(2019). HIV/AIDS Cases in the Philippines.
PN. (2019, August 20). Panay News. Retrieved from Young People and HIV: https://panaynets.net
of ignorance.

”
SHIP. (2018, November 7). HIV in the Philippines now a 'youth epidemic'. Retrieved from Sustained
Health Initiatives of the Philippines: http://www.ship.ph/hiv-in-philippines-now-a-youth-epidemic/
UNICEF. (2019). Cases of HIV/AIDS among the youth. United Nations Children's Fund.
Cathnews. (2010, March 26). Church Groups Urged to Rally Against Sex Education. Retrieved
from Catholic News Philippines: www.cathnewsphil.com/2010/03/26/church-groups-urged-to-
rally-against-sex-education-condoms/
DepEd. (2018, August 9). Comprehensive Sex Education to Develop Responsible Youth.
Retrieved from The Department of Education: www.philstar.com/other-sections/education-
and-home/2018/08/09/1840820/deped-comprehensive-sex-education-develop-responsible-
youth DOH. (2017). Healthcare Facilities in the Philippines. Department of Health.
DBM. (2015). Budget Operations Manual for LGUs. Department of Budget and Management.