Teenage pregnancy remains high in the Philippines, wherein an average of 530 teenagers that get pregnant daily, and this figure has stayed above 500 since 2010 according to the Population Commission. Such alarming situation has recently prompted the economic agency of the country (NEDA) to declare teenage pregnancy as a “national social crisis”, which drags the country’s economic growth.
To address this almost decade long problem, USAID's ReachHealth Project has taken on a new approach in finding solutions to the high rate of teen pregnancy, by working with and learning from teens themselves and their allies. For two weeks, the project has facilitated the Human Centered Design (HCD) activity, wherein teens design solutions to reducing the high teenage pregnancy rate in the country during the Imagine Workshop and then rapid testing and improving of these solutions has been conducted in the field.
These solutions are based on 12 insights derived from the previously conducted consultations with teens in Iloilo and Davao last July. These insights are focused on factors that affect unintended pregnancies among adolescents. The said insights have guided the formulation of 289 ideas from the Imagine workshop, which were then simplified to 5 major solutions.
A couple of the solutions are based around campaigns and big events that will create more awareness regarding teenage pregnancy. #ProtectingMyFuture is a coordinated, multi-channel campaign that will bring together key stakeholders, shift social norms, and contribute to reductions in teenage pregnancy. Teen Fest, on the other hand, is a youth-driven creative festival specifically designed to focus on love, sex, relationships, career and health.
Freedom spaces and platforms, whether they be physical or digital, are also popular suggested solutions. Teen Terminals are revamped community location that provides a safe and welcoming space for teens to learn, connect, create & play. Another solution is creating digital platform that houses accurate SRH online resource and draws on the best aspects of existing digital and social media. #SoConnected, on the other hand, uses humor, modeling and facilitation to help families build the habit of discussing love, sex, and relationships and move past the awkwardness.
These five solutions were tested in several locations in Batangas and Davao. Rapid testing and continuous improvements to the solutions has been done as the HCD team went to urban, peri-urban and rural areas to seek diverse perspectives on these solutions from teens and their allies.
After the two-week ideation and testing process, the solutions and conclusions were presented to project partners for their insights. USAID’s ReachHealth is currently in talks with partner government agencies and other organizations in turning these solutions to life so partners implement some if not all of them, as it will take more than a village to prevent a child from raising its own child.
This blog post was written for USAID's ReachHealth Project
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