Roots of Health

09/01/2026

Roots of Health is seeking a highly organized and proactive 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 (𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞) to support the Executive Director and the organization's leadership team. Reporting directly to the Executive Director, he/she will manage schedules, coordinate communication, organize meetings, and assist with board and organizational initiatives.

This position requires discretion, strong communication skills, emotional intelligence, and alignment with the organization’s values of empathy, integrity, empowerment, innovation, and excellence. The EA will play also play a key role in maximizing leadership effectiveness and supporting the organization’s mission in a fast-paced nonprofit environment.

Interested applicants may check out this link for the complete job description and requirements: https://rootsofhealth.org/job-opening-executive-assistant-remote/

05/01/2026

✨ “Leadership isn’t always glamorous — but it changes lives.” ✨

Our Executive Director, Amina Evangelista Swanepoel, was featured recently in Rappler for her lifelong dedication to advancing dignity, rights, and reproductive health for women and young people in Palawan and beyond.

The writer says that walking through our clinic and community spaces "felt like stepping inside a living manifesto of compassion" and that Amina's work "reminds us that development is not measured in impressive metrics but in whether people feel safer, healthier, and more human."

We’re truly humbled by this recognition.💛

Read more ➡️ https://www.rappler.com/business/opinion-lessons-asia-society-fellows-philippines-good-leadership-2025/

Do we teach business to make profit, or do we teach business to make impact?

30/12/2025

Before the year ends, we honor the parents who walked through our clinic doors and shared their dreams for their children through Pamana.
Across these letters, a quiet truth emerges: parents wish for their children to grow up with their needs met, and to be kind. Nothing extravagant, just safety, dignity, and the freedom to become their best selves.

These are the same parents or future parents who chose to care for their reproductive health and plan their families. Their gentle wishes remind us that family planning is, at its heart, an act of love and responsibility for the future.

By supporting Roots of Health, you help more families make these choices, so more children can grow up secure, cared for, and full of hope.

Join us in passing on this pamana. ❤️🌿
https://donorbox.org/pamana

25/12/2025

As 2025 comes to a close, we’re sending you a special gift… all of us at Roots of Health! 🎁 Your trust, support, and shared commitment to healthier communities made this year meaningful beyond words. 💖

May this holiday season remind us that together, we can keep giving care, hope, and love in every little way. 🌟

23/12/2025

This holiday season, we’re sharing a story of community-led transformation.

Meet Geralden, a community health advocate (CHA) turned clinic assistant at Roots of Health. One of the first reproductive health advocates in Aplaya, she’s helped families plan their futures and challenge harmful gender norms.

Because of CHAs like her, over 200 in her neighborhood have continuous access to care.

Watch her story and join us in building brighter futures for young people one community at a time.

Donate now: https://donorbox.org/pamana

19/12/2025

Roots of Health is seeking a Palawan-based architect or interior designer to help design a Youth-Friendly Primary Care & HIV Treatment Clinic in Puerto Princesa City.

The consultant will work closely with our team to transform a large clinic space into a welcoming, vibrant, and youth-friendly environment that meets DOH and PhilHealth requirements, prioritizes confidentiality, stigma reduction, and efficient client flow.

If you're experienced in designing clinics, health facilities, or community spaces, you might be the one we're looking for! To know more about the position and project, click here: https://rootsofhealth.org/architect-interior-designer/

16/12/2025

Hi, I’m Sophia. I grew up in a conservative environment — the kind where we don’t talk about s*x. There was even a certain pride in being “prude.” Conversations were shut down, and people who raised the topic were quietly judged.

S*x education was seen as something dangerous, something that fueled temptation instead of empowering young people. Even using the correct terms for ge***al parts felt bastos, “dirty.” We could never mention them in normal conversation.

What is it about “puki” (va**na) or “tite” (p***s) that makes them dirty, compared to “mata” (eyes) or “ilong” (nose)? Aren’t they all just body parts that help us experience life?

Language matters. When we stigmatize Filipino words about s*x, we lose the ability to talk about our own bodies. Because of that shame, many of us grow up disconnected from our own bodies. I did.

Puberty came early for me. By Grade 3, my breasts started developing. By Grade 6, people noticed. Friends, classmates, even adults said things like, “I wish I had your body.” It felt unsettling. I was just a child.

I grew up thinking my body was something to hide, something that could corrupt men. I hated it for a long time.

It wasn't until I began working at Roots of Health that I realized how privileged I had been. I never had to face the risk of teen pregnancy or STIs. For many young girls that we work with, that risk is real.

And these girls, they’re not “malandi” or “promiscuous.” They don’t “deserve” what happened to them. They’re often failed by a system that denied them accurate information, care, and even language for their own bodies.

That’s why I’m proud of this work, of the education and services we provide for free. It’s not about encouraging s*x, it’s about empathy, about giving people the words to name their bodies and experiences. Because when you can name something, you can protect it. When girls and boys know the right words, they can say no, and they can ask for help.

The more I worked with young people and taught our modules, the more I wished I had learned the same lessons growing up. At times it felt ironic – encouraging them to embrace their bodies while I was still learning to embrace mine.

It takes years to unlearn the belief that there’s something wrong with our bodies. Healing from stigma takes time. I know that firsthand.

That’s why I believe in teaching young people, especially girls, to understand and honor their bodies early. We have to reach them before shame does, before harmful beliefs take root, so they can understand consent, recognize abuse, and protect themselves.

That’s what real empowerment is: knowing your body, your worth, and your choices.

That’s the legacy — the pamana — I hope our work leaves behind.

-- Sophia, Roots of Health Partnerships Coordinator for Pamana: Rewriting the Story We Pass On Fundraising Campaign.

Join us in empowering young people to know their bodies and make informed and healthy choices. Leave a legacy of health and hope today: https://donorbox.org/pamana

13/12/2025

We asked our community what future they hope to pass on—discover their empowering visions and be part of the change.

Help shape the future. A small gift goes a long way:
https://donorbox.org/pamana

11/12/2025

JOIN OUR GROWING TEAM! 💖

Roots of Health is looking for an on-site PhilHealth Claims Officer based in Puerto Princesa to help ensure smooth, accurate, and timely processing of our PhilHealth reimbursements.

If you're detail-oriented, organized, and passionate about supporting community health work, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now and join our mission to improve women’s and young people’s health in Palawan! Click here to know more about this opening: https://rootsofhealth.org/job-opening-philhealth-claims-officer/

10/12/2025

Reproductive health education and access to care are a human right.
But teen pregnancy, discrimination, and abuse still quietly pass from one generation to the next, perpetuating cycles of poverty.

For 16 years, Roots of Health has helped young people and families in Palawan gain the basic human right to access quality reproductive health education and services.

Through these they are one step closer to achieving freedom and equality as they make informed choices — breaking cycles and building lives rooted in dignity.

This year, on join our Pamana Campaign to pass on a legacy of empowerment, knowledge, and brighter futures.

A future where every person can exercise their right to shape their own healthy lives.

07/12/2025

𝐏𝐀𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐃!!!! 📣📣📣📣
𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐎 ang ating clinic ngayong araw dahil sa local holiday. Muli po kami magbubukas sa Tuesday, December 9, 2025.
Magpaappointment sa aming hotline number or page at maaaring hintayin muna ang confirmation bago pumunta sa clinic sa sumunod na araw.
Contact numbers: 0998 381 4686 | 0915 311 9731