30/10/2025
Brewing Courage: How MYRNA’s CAFE Turns Coffee Into Conversations That Save Lives
At first glance, MYRNA’s CAFE looks like any other local spot. Tables are dotted with steaming cups of coffee, laughter flows between friends, and the air hums with warmth. But beneath the inviting aroma of freshly brewed beans lies something far more profound—this café isn’t just serving coffee. It’s serving courage, compassion, and conversations that break the silence around HIV.
A Safe Space in Every Sip
In Pangasinan, where Myrna’s Café was first born, the idea was simple but powerful: create a place where people could sit down, relax, and talk openly about HIV and AIDS.. For many, it was the first time they had heard someone speak of the topic without shame, judgment, or whispers. This innovation was inspired by one of our highly respected health champion, Dr Myrna M. Cabotaje.
The café quickly became a community anchor. Between bites of pastries and sips of espresso, guests found a safe space to ask questions, share fears, and learn truths that stigma had long kept hidden.
During the pandemic, we were forced to close the café, bringing not only the end of daily gatherings but also a halt to vital services like HIV testing and education. The silence was heavy, and it felt like the community we had built was slipping away. Yet, in that stillness, courage slowly grew. With renewed determination, we reopened in January 2022— to restore a safe space for connection, health, and hope.
Beyond the Café: Planting Seeds of Hope in Tarlac
The story didn’t stop with coffee. In Tarlac, Myrna’s Café Health Service Cooperative took its mission further, opening the Kanlahi Community Center. Here, the warmth of conversation expanded into concrete services: free HIV testing, counselling, and healthcare tailored to the people who needed it most.
Funded in part by partners like USAID, Global Fund through Love Yourself and RTHSN, and supported by the Department of Health, the center is proof that big change can grow from small beginnings. What started as a humble café became a recognized Primary HIV Care Clinic, now accredited to provide life-saving treatment.
A Brew of Compassion and Change
Myrna’s Café shows that advocacy doesn’t have to be confined to clinics or campaigns. Sometimes it lives in the familiar rituals of daily life—in the gentle clinking of coffee cups in safe spaces, in laughter shared between strangers, in the quiet bravery of questions finally spoken aloud.
It is proof that health is not just about medicine; it is about humanity. And that sometimes, the most powerful revolutions start in the simplest places. Myrna’s Café continues to pour few cups of coffee, yes. But more importantly, it pours hope.
We are deeply grateful to be recognized by Love Yourself, such a prestigious and leading organization in HIV response. This honor is more than an award—it is a validation of the hard work, resilience, and vision that has guided the support group, volunteers and staff through challenges and triumphs alike. To be acknowledged by an institution of such stature reminds us that our efforts are not only seen but also valued on a larger scale.
As one of the finalist in the Ripple award, it strengthens our resolve to keep moving forward, to continue serving with excellence, and to inspire others who walk alongside us. We carry this moment with humility and gratitude, knowing that it is both a celebration of what we have achieved and a call to keep striving for even greater impact.
