The European Union-funded program, Advancing Adolescent’s Voice for Violence-Free, Inclusive and Safer Family and Community Environment (ADDVoice), is gaining grounds in Leyte and Samar.

Almost 2,000 adolescents, parents, caregivers and service providers from Abuyog, Javier, Mayorga and MacArthur in Leyte and from Gandara, Matuguinao, Pagsanghan and San Jorge in Samar, are benefitting from the ADDVoice program.

Adolescent pregnancy is a complex issue requiring a multisectoral approach involving collaboration between health, education, social services, and other relevant sectors to prevent pregnancies, provide comprehensive care and support adolescent mothers and their babies.

The European Union has collaborated with non-governmental organization Save the Children to enhance access to gender-sensitive and adolescent-responsive child protection, sexual and reproductive health and rights information, programs, and services.

European Union Ambassador Massimo Santoro said that the ADDVoice program helps empower women and girls to realize opportunities in education and employment, ultimately contributing to a gender-equal society. The programme is aligned with the values and dedication of the EU to advance equality and social progress. 

The programme aims to prevent and address early pregnancy and sexual violence against children. It focuses on Samar and Leyte, the most number of adolescent pregnancies in the region as per 2020 National Safe Motherhood Programme of the Department of Health Regional Office in Region VIII.   It is implemented by Save the Children in the Philippines and Western Samar Development Foundation (WESADEF).  

Now on its second year, Junalie Katalbas, ADDVOICE project coordinator of Save the Children, said that the program has significantly helped decrease teenage pregnancies in project areas by 10.89 percent with a corresponding increase in the number of girls accessing the Adolescent-Friendly Health Facility, family planning, antenatal and postnatal care.  

Katalbas said that adolescents are effective change agents when provided with inclusive, safe and engaging platforms.

The Save the Children reported that while it takes time to invest in child-led initiatives to make peer-to-peer engagement more effective, communication has become easier once adolescent-facilitators are trained well.  In view of the project, adolescents, parents and caregivers have reported an increase and or improvement in knowledge in adolescent sexual and reproductive health and child protection awareness.

Coordination has also been made by the program with relevant agencies such as the Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Interlocal Health Zone to establish two child protection units in Gandara District Hospital and Abuyog District Hospital. There has also been an increased reporting of sexual violence cases indicating greater awareness and trust in reporting mechanisms.

“Engaging parents, particularly male caregivers, significantly improves outcomes in adolescent health and child protection,” said Katalbas.

Empowering women and children is crucial for sustainable development. This involves ensuring access to education, healthcare, economic opportunities, and legal rights, enabling them to reach their full potential just like what ADDVoice is doing for the women and children in Leyte and Samar.