‘Transformative’ project changes implementors too

What started as an entry in a company-sponsored competition has become a transformative experience for a group of bright students from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.

Team High 5—composed of business administration students Jhenard Cayaban, James Victor Javier, Janthina Pamela Oliveros, Jhanette Claire Co and Katrina Eusebio—

topped last year’s Unilab Ideas Positive: Transforming Communities with the Filipino Youth.

The students’ proposed a tuberculosis-detection program in two barangays in Payatas, Quezon City—Payatas Trece and Molave.

As grand winner, the UP team received P60,000 from United Laboratories and P100,000 as seed money for their project.

Javier said, through the competition, Unilab had aimed to transform communities through the Filipino youth, but implementing their project also transformed the members of his team.

Three-phased

“We took on real-life challenges and overcame them. Our minds opened to the realization that we could help although still young,” Javier said.

Team High 5’s project is called “Hawak Kamay Sabay-Sabay sa 3B Laban sa TB. The “3B” stands for the project’s three phases.

The first phase, Bukas Kaalaman, aims to promote education and awareness through training for health workers, refresher courses on the detection of the disease and workshops on dealing with  people with TB.

In the second phase, Bigyang Daan, the team will launch the project in the target communities and start house-to-house screening, through sputum test and X-ray, to identify carriers of the TB bacteria.

Bantay Kinabukasan, the last phase, involves the treatment of those who are infected and monitoring to ensure the treatment regimen is followed strictly.

The students found out that actual implementation would not be as easy as it looked on paper.

When Team High 5 went to Payatas Trece and Molave for the first phase of the project, the students discovered that people were reluctant to discuss symptoms like cough or flu for fear of being ostracized.

Drawback

Despite the significant strides that have been made in the treatment of TB and the availability of cheap but effective drugs, Filipinos still consider it shameful to be diagnosed with the disease.

The reluctance of those infected to seek treatment, as well as their failure to complete the required medication regimen, is a major drawback in the campaign against the communicable disease.

Cayaban said, through the first phase of their project, “We want them (TB sufferers) to know that help is available in their health centers.”

Of the 190 households or about 1,000 people in one village covered by the program, only 18 were found to be taking medication for TB. This was very low since community records showed one out of three residents was infected.

To solve the problem, Team High 5 decided to use a different approach in implementing the project. The students decided to help residents overcome their embarrassment about the disease so they would seek proper medication.

They collaborated with different groups, like medical interns from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Medicine and Public Health (ASMPH), community health workers, local leaders, barangay health center and the Payatas Orione Foundation to establish rapport with the residents.

The team focused first on building relationships to gain the trust of residents. Gradually, the people of Payatas warmed up to them and became easier to deal with.

The UP students accomplished the first phase of the project in about a month. On May 19, Team High 5 had a successful formal launch for Hawak Kamay in Molave. It is now into the second phase of the program.

As of their last visit, 30 homes had been screened, and the students found probable TB carriers in eight out of 10 homes.

The growing acceptance by the community was a positive reinforcement for Team High 5.

“It is fulfilling. There’s happiness from knowing that those we have helped are happy as well,” Cayaban said. “It’s more than just giving help or feeding them … (You are) also trying to teach them how they can improve their lives, change their attitude and behavior.”

Unilab Ideas Positive is a corporate social responsibility project that aims to empower the youth by equipping them with knowledge and skills in social marketing. Through the project, Unilab is able to adhere to its core value of Bayanihan by partnering with the youth in building a healthier Philippines through communities.

The other winners in the Unilab Ideas Positive contest were Team KaBaLiKAT of STI Global City for a catfish-raising livelihood program to address malnutrition in Barangay Ibayo Tipas, Taguig City, and Team AweEights of UP Diliman for a rain catchment communal toilet to teach hygiene and sanitation to residents of Pook Daang Tubo, Quezon City.