Let’s take a quick review of our lessons from school.
Reproductive health is considered one of the most important topics taught from early education until college because it is not only a system in our bodies, it is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.
More than just the absence of disease or infirmity, reproductive health implies that people have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how to do so. This means that reproductive health plays a big factor in a safe and healthy sex life.
Here in the Philippines, an organization has committed to give access about this topic to women and men and it aims to address the growing concern of reproductive health education in the country.
RH Care Info is a non-profit Reproductive Health Information Project led by the Philippine Society for Responsible Parenthood, Inc. (PSRP) based in Manila, Philippines.
Supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), PRSP has made an accessible interactive website that contains factual information on sexual and reproductive health.
Launched in January 2020, the free interactive website is a complete and one-stop information hub. RH Care does not only educate, but it also supports all genders from all ages about making only the right choices and guiding the users on their sexual and reproductive health.
RH Care Info’s website is dedicated to help on five main programs: Family Planning, Maternal Health, Gender-Based Violence, HIV and STI and Young People. Let’s get to know about these programs a little bit more.
1. Family Planning
Family Planning is a practice that supports limiting how many kids to have and controlling the gaps between their births. This encourages better planning for the family as well as better support provided by companies for their employees.
Under this program, RH Care Info has information on Family Planning Methods, Frequently Asked Questions on these methods, Family planning clinics in the county and articles on planning better for your family.
RH Care Info encourages families and employees to plan for better quality of life, financial stability and a secure future.
2. Maternal Health
Growing a baby in the womb of a woman takes a ton of work and effort. Delivering a baby is not as easy as what we watch in movies.
Maternal Health is about the health of a woman during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period.
Mothers and their children can benefit from proper maternal health which means:
✓ Healthier moms
✓ Safer pregnancy and childbirth
✓ Lesser risk during pregnancy
✓ Lesser deaths from childbirth
✓ Lesser complications after birth
RH Care Info pushes for all women to receive proper maternal health care and on the website, information from prenatal care to postnatal care is free for everyone. A list of Maternal Care Clinics are also available with a baby bulletin where mothers can take note of for a self-care list.
RH Care does not only educate, but it also supports all genders from all ages about making only the right choices and guiding the users on their sexual and reproductive health.
3. Gender-Based Violence
Gender Violence covers a wide range of expressions of harm towards other people due to reasons associated with their identified gender.
Local resources are provided on RH Care Info to help ensure everyone’s safety against violence.
The website serves as a safe space to raise awareness, empower women, and support victims in sharing their experiences.
Aside from stories of survivorship, a list of women and children protection units and Violence against women and Children (VAWC) Hotlines are available on the website.
4. HIV and STI
RH Care Info is also committed to remove the stigma when it comes to HIV and STI by educating people on sexual and reproductive health to end the HIV and AIDS epidemic.
Sexually Transmitted Infections or STIs are infections that spread from one person to another through sexual activities.
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV is one of the common STIs that can be prevented. Local resources on keeping yourself informed about HIV Treatment and treatment centres as well as where to get tested are provided on the website.
5. Young People
Recognizing young people’s rights helps them grow to make good decisions for their own bodies and their life.
With proper support, young people are influenced on a basic quality of life ensuring their well-being and development.
In this program RH Care Info gives young people an access to sex education in the new normal, comprehensive sexuality education, a list of free counselling hotlines and adolescent-friendly health facilities.
One of the main highlights of RH Care Info’s website is an online and safe sharing platform of stories about taboo topics in family planning, contraceptive use, maternal health, HIV and STI, gender-based violence, among others.
Dubbed as #MayKwentoAko, it is a virtual heart to heart open forum for safe discussions and sharing of personal experiences anonymously and judgement-free.
Aside from this, a Health Facility Locator is also the website’s main highlight which helps people find a near health care facility.
Individuals will simply input their location and select the type of service they need and click on the search button. The results will show available health facilities within a 10-kilometer radius from the users location.
Checkout RH Care Info on their website and their social media sites (facebook, twitter and instagram) and share them to your friends and family for interactive and accessible information on reproductive health. You can even chat RH Care Info privately on Facebook Messenger for free for other concerns and questions.
To know more about the programs of RH Care Info, visit their virtual communities on facebook. /dbs
