Bridging Health Gaps for the Tagbanua: Three Years of Project LUSOG
Sustaining health in any community may already be daunting as it is. To do so in indigenous peoples (IP) communities residing in hard-to-reach areas poses far more challenges. But no matter how far or difficult, quality health care ought to be readily accessed by our country’s IPs — as is for all other citizens.
Project LUSOG is a health-focused collaboration between Cartwheel Foundation International, Inc. (Cartwheel INTL) and Cartwheel Foundation, Inc. (Cartwheel PH) that was launched in Culion, Palawan in 2016. This initiative was made possible through the mobilization of the resources and expertise of multi-sectoral stakeholders.
In its three-year implementation, Project LUSOG has helped make way towards better health outcomes for the Tagbanua through various collaborative efforts of those from their community.
Health research
Understanding the health context of the Tagbanua paved way for the next steps of Project LUSOG. Focus was given to the specific project components of health education and health partnerships.
Understanding the indigenous community. Field surveys and interviews were conducted among partner Tagbanua communities in 2016 to learn about their health situation.
In recognizing the current health situation of the Tagbanua, collaborative and collective actions were then identified. Key agencies committed to include the Tagbanua as among their priority groups in their development agenda. The Tagbanua themselves formed core groups and began community-based projects. Their initiatives focused on the promotion of children’s health and well-being. Currently, these core groups are in the process of training and formalizing to be an established Indigenous Peoples Organization (IPO).
In the long term, these interventions guided the development of an enhanced framework for Cartwheel PH’s Education and Child Development programs. These were made to take on a more holistic approach towards initiatives that are community-owned and resilience-focused.
Raising community awareness on health. A series of learning sessions were held to engage both Tagbanua and non-indigenous counterparts in the promotion of health and wellness.
In the long run, efforts in health partnerships were envisioned to contribute toward policy-level change for the advancement of IPs and their rights.
Bridging partnerships for health. Deeper involvement of natural owners of health and education initiatives in Culion was ensured through stakeholder assemblies and dialogues.