This position will be Manila-based.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement partnership strategies and maintain a partnership pipeline that support the organization’s strategic priorities, expansion and scaling goals.
• Identify, cultivate, and manage strategic partnerships with funders, government agencies, corporations, and civil society organizations at global, regional, and local levels.
• Work closely with the Executive Director, Deputy Director, and Fundraising Manager to strengthen donor relationships and support fundraising efforts.
• Lead partnership development processes, including negotiation of agreements, due diligence, and compliance with safeguarding, anti-corruption, and ethical standards.
• Oversee public health systems strengthening partnerships and ensure alignment with national and regional health priorities.
• Collaborate with program teams to ensure partnerships support program implementation and growth.
• Track partnership engagement and opportunities through a partnerships database and monitor potential risks, and evaluate partnership effectiveness and impact.
• Supervise the Partnerships Coordinators in Manila and Palawan and represent the organization at external meetings, events, and media engagements.

Job Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as International Relations, Political Science, Public Policy, Development Studies, Public Administration, or related social sciences.
• At least 3 years of experience building and managing partnerships with diverse stakeholders, including engagement in policy advocacy.
• At least 2 years of supervisory or management experience.
• Strong knowledge of public health systems and reproductive health issues; familiarity with relevant Philippine policies (e.g., Universal Health Care, RH Law, HIV laws, SOGIE Equality Bill).
• Demonstrated leadership, strategic thinking, negotiation, and relationship management skills.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities and produce clear written reports and correspondence in English.
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse partners while setting and managing expectations effectively.
• Resourceful, adaptable, and committed to the organization’s mission.
• Willingness to travel as needed.

Desired:

• Advanced degree in a relevant field or equivalent work experience in areas such as Public Health, Medicine, Public Administration, or a related field
• Experience with fundraising and securing funding partnerships
• Experience as a resource person for TV, radio, internet, and print media 
• Ability to speak and understand local dialects is a plus

Qualified applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references (including at least one former supervisor) to jobs@rootsofhealth.org as soon as possible. 

Type: “Partnerships Director Position” in the subject line.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

Due to the volume of applications, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interviews. 

About Roots of Health / Ugat ng Kalusugan

Roots of Health /Ugat ng Kalusugan is a nonprofit organization focused on improving the health of women and girls, and their communities, in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, in the Philippines. We envision self-reliant women, young people and communities living healthy reproductive lives in Palawan. Roots of Health empowers women and girls to secure their right to health and freedom from violence, and to support and protect the health and well-being of their children. Our activities are guided by the international human rights framework, which includes a core belief that health is a human right, and activities are carried out using a community-based approach.

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PAD-Ibig Diaries, a collaboration between advertising agency Black Pencil Manila, reproductive health NGO Roots of Health, and menstrual pad brand Charmee, uses illustrated diary-style content on menstrual pad packaging to spark conversations on puberty, consent, relationships, pregnancy, and contraception.

As part of the rollout, Charmee left a dedicated drawer of free menstrual pads in the school clinic to ensure students can continue accessing both products and information.

Recent figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority and the Commission on Population and Development show that in 2024, there were 138,697 registered live births to adolescent mothers aged 10–19 nationwide, with births among girls under 15 rising to 3,612, the highest on record. Experts say these figures underscore the urgent need for localized and age-appropriate reproductive health education.

“Teen pregnancy continues to reflect gaps in access to reproductive health education,” said Marcus Swanepoel, Deputy Director of Roots of Health. “The ideal scenario is for the full implementation of reproductive health education in the school system, but we are not there yet. In the meantime, programs like PAD-Ibig Diaries provide young people with credible information before misinformation fills that space.”

Now in its third year, PAD-Ibig Diaries builds on earlier runs in Palawan and Rizal, which combined pad packs with interactive discussions and games to help students ask questions often left unaddressed in traditional curricula.

“We are committed to reaching as many high school students as we can,” said Kat Gomez-Limchoc, Executive Creative Director of Black Pencil Manila. “We see that there really is a great unlock in learning when you do it through storytelling, in a language that considers and respects the audience you are wanting to teach and inspire.”

“I strongly advocate for students to learn more and for schools to teach more about the reproductive system, sex, and pregnancy for both boys and girls. It takes two to tango,” said Leslie Jennica M. Brosas, a Grade 10 student from Parañaque High School. “If this is taught earlier, young people will better understand consequences and responsibilities.”

The expansion of PAD-Ibig Diaries comes as educators, health advocates, and policymakers renew calls for sustained, evidence-based sexuality education to help address adolescent pregnancies nationwide.

The PAD-Ibig Diaries are available online at https://ugatngkalusugan.org/pad-ibig-diaries/.

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Pamana: Rewriting the Story We Pass On is our year-end fundraising campaign rooted in hope: hope that cycles can be broken, stories can be rewritten, and futures can look different from the past. Through this campaign, we’ve been sharing stories that inspire and empower women and families to create change. One of these stories is deeply personal – Sophia’s.

Like many Filipinos, Sophia grew up in a conservative environment where sex was never talked about, and even naming body parts felt shameful or bastos. When she entered puberty, she carried deep shame about her changing body. She grew up believing her body was something to hide—something that could tempt or “corrupt” men. For a long time, she resented it. And she knew her story was not hers alone. Many young girls grow up feeling the same fear and confusion. 

Today, Sophia works for Roots of Health as our Partnerships Coordinator, helping deliver comprehensive reproductive health education to young people in and beyond Palawan. By bravely sharing her own story, she helps young people learn the truth about their bodies without fear or shame, so they can make informed, confident decisions about their futures.

Read Sophia’s full story here.

As part of the Pamana campaign, we also shared a series of comic strips and art cards that explored the cycles we hoped to break: unhealthy relationships, trust issues, and unspoken childhood trauma. Told with humor and honesty, these relatable stories opened conversations, encouraged reflection, and invited us to imagine healthier paths forward.

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We asked our online community what kind of future they hope to pass on, and their answers were deeply moving. Again and again, people spoke of dignity, kindness, understanding, and care. Some dreams were simple, others transformative–but all were rooted in hope.

Read post here

If these stories resonated with you, we invite you to be part of what comes next.

Pamana is about choosing what we pass on. With your support, we can continue creating spaces where young people grow up informed, respected, and empowered—free from shame and full of possibility.  

This Christmas, your gift helps ensure that the next generation inherits not silence or fear, but knowledge, agency, and hope.

Give hope. Help rewrite stories. Donate now.

The post What are we passing on? Not everything we inherit is meant to stay. appeared first on Roots Of Health.

The citywide training brought together 30 medical officers, nurses, teachers, and guidance counselors from 11 public secondary schools in Puerto Princesa City. The sessions enhanced educators’ competence and confidence to discuss sexual health in classrooms, a strategic prevention measure as Puerto Princesa continues its local HIV response.

“We organized this training so teachers can become the resource and focal persons for STI and HIV education in their own classrooms. There is still a lot of stigma and discomfort around sexual health in schools, and we want to help shift teachers’ perspectives so they see why accurate information should come from them and be integrated into their lessons,” said Regina Villapa, Medical Technologist V of the City Health Office.

Roots of Health HIV Programs Manager RR Morales, who facilitated most of the sessions, highlighted the critical role of schools in prevention. “Fear and misinformation keep people from getting tested or seeking care. By training teachers, we multiply voices that can reduce stigma inside classrooms. When young people feel safe to ask questions early, they are more likely to protect themselves and access services without shame,” Morales said.

The training covered legal frameworks, empathy-based communication, cultural sensitivity, and teaching demonstrations so instructors could practice non-judgmental teaching. It also oriented teachers on the city’s health referral system so they can direct students to appropriate and confidential services when needed.

Morales shared that beyond their stigma-reduction efforts and free community-based screenings, Roots of Health will open a Treatment Hub early next year in Puerto Princesa City. This Hub will be the second HIV care facility in Palawan, alongside the Province’s Red Top Center, and will expand Palaweños access to free and non-judgmental HIV care.

The City Health Office and Roots of Health underscored that strengthening teachers’ capacity, while connecting them to functional referral and treatment systems, is a proactive and cost-effective strategy: when students receive accurate information early, they are more likely to prevent infection, seek testing, and make informed decisions.

Dr. Starlet Rhonadez B. Oriel-Villan of the Department of Education noted that teachers have been requesting capacity-building amid the rise in HIV cases. This year, Palawan was cited for having the youngest HIV-positive individual in the country who contracted the virus through sexual contact. National data show that HIV infections in the Philippines have increased by more than 500% from 2010 to 2023. The Department of Health now records an average of over 50 new cases daily.

Schools that participated in the training include: Palawan National School, Puerto Princesa National Science High School, Marcelino Abadiano Javarez National High School, and the national high schools of Santa Monica, San Jose, Babuyan, Mandaragat, Sta. Lourdes, San Miguel, Sicsican, and Macarascas. ###

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Two weeks ago, lawmakers screened the film Sunshine inside Congress to rally support for a newly refiled Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill. Art imitated life, and life demanded policy.

HB 4115, reintroduced by Kabataan and ACT Teachers party-list, aims to address what has been called a national emergency: rising pregnancies among the youngest girls. In 2022 alone, over 56,000 girls aged 10-17 gave birth in the Philippines, with births among those as young as 10-14 years old rising by 35% from the year prior.

The urgency of these numbers finds a human face in Sunshine (spoilers ahead). In Antoinette Jadaone’s film  the story of an Olympic hopeful takes a harrowing turn after a single pregnancy test changes everything. What begins as a coming-of-age sports drama unfolds into a portrait of how society piles shame, silence, and suffering onto the shoulders of girls who are simply trying to grow up.

Sunshine is not just about an unplanned pregnancy. It’s about the quiet violence that young women experience daily and the systems that routinely fail to protect them. It’s also a story we at Roots of Health recognize all too well.

For 16 years, we’ve worked with young people in Palawan who are rarely given the information or resources to make informed decisions about their bodies and futures. For many of them, Sunshine will feel painfully familiar.

One of the film’s most heartbreaking scenes doesn’t even involve the titular character. A child is raped by her uncle. Her mother knows but says nothing. She lets it happen under her roof and encourages it because the rape keeps her fed and housed. The disturbing scene is not uncommon. Too many families would rather protect their name than their daughters. Too many girls grow up learning that their pain is inconvenient, or worse, deserved.

We also see how unevenly accountability is distributed. When Sunshine tells her partner she’s pregnant, he lashes out. His first instinct is not concern, but escape. The partner’s father steps in—not to help Sunshine, but to protect his son. Sunshine is left spiraling—torn between her Olympic dreams and a life she never planned—while he walks away after handing her a measly ₱5,000. The pregnancy becomes her burden. Her secret. Her shame.

What’s most devastating is how alone Sunshine is. How she felt she had no one to turn to. No safety net. No information. No alternatives. And yet, when she makes a desperate choice, society is quick to condemn, not stopping to ask how she ended up there in the first place.

Jadaone forces us to sit with that isolation. In one scene, Sunshine checks herself into a sketchy motel to end the pregnancy on her own. No one holds her hand through it. We witness every step. This is the emotional labor expected of young women every day: to quietly survive what the system won’t prevent.

The film reminds us of the cost of silence. When reproductive health remains taboo, when schools skip over lessons about rights and relationships, when girls grow up without language to name the abuse or the knowledge to avoid harm – when we treat reproductive health as shameful, instead of something every young person deserves to understand and navigate with care – we are setting girls up to fail.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), mandated under the Reproductive Health Law, is meant to equip students with age-appropriate and scientifically accurate information. Yet its rollout has been patchy. In reality, many schools hesitate. Discomfort, limited budgets, and inadequate teacher training delay implementation. Silence in classrooms leads to silence in crises.

Just recently, the Department of Education announced it would scrap CSE in favor of a new Reproductive Health Education (RHE) policy. The shift followed relentless campaigns by groups like Project Dalisay, which used misinformation and fearmongering to discredit CSE – falsely claiming it encouraged masturbation among children and undermined parents. Whether RHE will still cover essentials like consent, contraception, and abuse reporting remains unclear.

At Roots of Health, we’ve seen the impact of early, honest conversations about reproductive health. Through our programs in schools and communities across Palawan, we help young people of all genders understand their bodies, rights, and relationships. They shouldn’t have to reach breaking point before accessing this knowledge.

Both education and access to reproductive health counseling and contraceptives can help young peole make decisions from a place of strength, not desperation.

No one should feel they need to resort to unsafe options as depicted in Sunshine. But when young people seek care, they are too often met with judgment instead of support. In many clinics and health centers nationwide, girls are often shamed, denied contraceptives, or turned away—even with parental consent. Young women are only offered care after they have already become pregnant, defeating the very purpose of planning pregnancies.

At Roots of Health we work hard to show young people that care can look different. Our clinics in Puerto Princesa and mobile outreach provide confidential, compassionate, and youth-friendly care. I’ve seen girls’ quiet palpable relief after being treated with respect, not suspicion.

Sunshine doesn’t offer easy answers. But it holds a mirror up to a society that too often looks away. In it we see cracks in the system that let girls fall through: in families, in institutions, in culture. But we also see something else: that these girls still dream. That they try. That they are worth fighting for.

We’ll keep showing up for them, every day, until they no longer have to carry it all alone. Until non-judgmental support is the standard.

Sundae Aquino, 23, is a Communications Officer of Roots of Health, a reproductive health NGO in Palawan founded by Ashoka fellow Amina-Evangelista Swanepoel.

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The one-day gathering brought together more than 1,000 parents, educators, health professionals, advocates, and young people to learn about sex and sexuality. Now in its second year, Becoming is the country’s only summit dedicated to advancing sexual wellness that is accessible, evidence-based, and free from shame.

Tapped to organize the Teen Zone, Roots of Health created Alice-in-Wonderland-themed sessions where young people explored often-taboo topics. Teens joined Consent Court with the Queen of Hearts and examined real-life consent scenarios; learned about SOGIESC through Tweedledum & Tweedledee as genderbread persons; and dropped questions at the Tea Party to discuss healthy relationships, readiness for sex, and contraception.

Visitors also enjoyed Gen-Z inspired merch — from stickers promoting comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) to the popular “Marites the Matris” T-shirt, featuring a playful uterus design.

Young people at the Roots of Health booth during the Becoming: The Philippine Sexual Wellness Summit. (Photo by: Roots of Health)

Roots of Health Executive Director Amina Evangelista Swanepoel joined the panel It Takes a Village, emphasizing the need for free judgment-free, adolescent-friendly education and health services.  “Not every child has parents who are able—or willing—to talk about sexuality. This is common in millions of households in the country, but especially true in those that experience neglect and abuse. That’s why schools, health centers, and communities need to create safe, evidence-based spaces for learning. It truly takes a village to ensure young people are protected and empowered,” Swanepoel shared.

Roots of Health Executive Director Amina Evangelista-Swanepoel, third from left, with (L-R) Juan Mapua Banal, CEO of Cross Education; Gil Cadiz, Marketing Director of DKT Philippines; and Mela Franco-Habijan, content creator and Miss Trans Global 2020 during the panel discussion on community approaches to sexual health education at Becoming: The Philippine Sexual Wellness Summit.

With 16 years of experience, Roots of Health has taught sex ed to over 100,000 students in Palawan public schools. It has also provided 50,000 women with free contraceptive services, helping reduce teen pregnancies in Puerto Princesa by 60 percent since 2017.

Aside from direct services, Roots of Health trains and influences government and civil society partners to ensure that they too provide young people with judgment-free, empathetic care—an approach the organization believes is crucial to addressing challenges such as teen pregnancy and HIV.  “We’re trying to get everyone who is in a leadership role, especially around young people – whether it’s parents, teachers, barangay health workers, midwives, and nurses, everyone around them – to try to have some empathy with what they’re going through, to not shut them down when they’re actually asking for information and services, and to just be open and honest and take some of the taboo away from discussing sexuality,” she added.

The summit, organized by clinical sexologist Dr. Rica Cruz and her organization Unprude, featured sessions and workshops on teen pregnancy, building healthy masculinity, HPV prevention, men’s sexual health, sexuality across the lifespan, and more.

“Sex ed is for all of us, and when we finally understand what sex really is, we also learn how to build a sexually respectful society—for ourselves, our children, and everyone,” said Dr. Cruz.

Building on its successes, Roots of Health is now expanding its reach beyond Palawan through its Palawan+ Initiative which aims to bring its proven model of comprehensive sexuality education, contraceptive access, and health systems strengthening to more communities across the Philippines.  ###

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Participants, led by Commission on Population and Development MIMAROPA Director Reynaldo O. Wong, commended the clinic’s privacy measures, non-judgmental, youth-centered approach, and vibrant, well-equipped facilities.

“We believe it’s essential for young people to have a safe, private, and well-equipped space for their health needs. We hope our work can inspire similar initiatives across MIMAROPA and beyond,” said Joan Karla Laja, Clinical Programs Director of Roots of Health.



Located along Rizal Avenue in Puerto Princesa, the DOH-recognized, PhilHealth-accredited Youth Clinic provides free, confidential reproductive health services and education to young people. Services include family planning counseling, contraceptives, prenatal checkups, Pap smears, talk therapy, STI and HIV screening, and Pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention (PrEP).

It also gives away free menstrual cups and Pad-Ibig Diaries pads — playful, specially packaged menstrual products made possible by corporate partners — and has a condom dispenser right outside its door so anyone can access protection without sign-ups or questions 24/7.

The clinic features two consultation areas, a counseling space, and a private examination room, serving over 1,000 clients annually. Its team includes a medical doctor, nurses, midwives, HIV coordinators, a social worker, and youth advocates—all trained in adolescent health, with expertise in HIV screening and counseling, community-based service delivery, and Filipino Sign Language.


Since 2009, Roots of Health has reached over 100,000 young people with reproductive health education, provided contraceptives to 50,000 women, and trained 7,000 health workers, teachers, and planners in youth-friendly care, sexuality education, and health data management. 

The Puerto Princesa City Health Office recently recognized the organization as a key partner in driving down the city’s teen pregnancy rate by 60% between 2017 and 2023.

The learning visit was part of the three-day AYHD Summit, held August 11–13 at the Edward S. Hagedorn Coliseum in Puerto Princesa City. With the theme “Kabataan, Level Up para sa Bagong Pilipinas,” the summit brought together youth representatives, local government units, civil society organizations, and development partners to address reproductive health, mental health, nutrition, and other key issues affecting young people. ###

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The delegation was led by Deputy Ambassador Geir Michalsen, who oversees the Embassy’s development cooperation portfolio. He was joined by Second Secretary Maria Jensen.

The officials toured ROH’s two clinics and met with health workers, program managers, community-based partners, and youth volunteers to gain a deeper understanding of the organization’s ongoing programs.

Presentations highlighted the outcomes of ROH’s multi-year partnership with the Embassy, especially in expanding access to reproductive health services, and outlined ongoing strategies in responding to the HIV crisis in Palawan.

“We are honored to welcome the Norwegian Embassy to our clinics and show how their support has helped us reach more people with life-saving care,” said Marcus Swanepoel, Deputy Executive Director of Roots of Health. “This visit is not only a chance to reflect on the progress we’ve made but also to explore how we can deepen our partnership to respond to urgent needs like HIV.”

“Ending HIV won’t happen through silence or shame – it requires information, compassionate care, and investment in young people,” Swanepoel added.

Deputy Ambassador Geir Michalsen expressed pride in the Embassy’s long-term partnership with ROH.

“Norway is a global champion of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), pushing to accelerate access to SRHR, while also striving to safeguard the progress achieved so far. The Embassy is pleased to see how our support to ROH continues to make a meaningful impact. Their tireless efforts to address remaining gaps in Puerto Princesa and beyond are admirable, and the Embassy is proud to be a longstanding partner,” he said.

The HIV epidemic in the Philippines

Based on UNAIDS estimates, the Philippines now sees an average of 48 new HIV cases per day, marking a 411% increase in daily incidence from 2012 to 2023. While global HIV infections have declined steadily over the last two decades, the country is experiencing a sustained rise in new infections, with most cases attributed to sexual transmission. Men who have sex with men are disproportionately affected, though the risk to women is also increasing.

The Philippines has committed to global goals to end AIDS by 2030, which include diagnosing 95% of people with HIV, treating 95% of those diagnosed, and ensuring 95% of those treated have the virus under control. But the country remains far from these targets: only 59% know their status, 67% of those are on treatment, and just 48% have achieved viral suppression.

In Palawan and MIMAROPA, progress lags due to limited services, stigma and discrimination, weak surveillance systems, and a lack of youth engagement and comprehensive sexuality education.

Local action against a national crisis

Roots of Health tackles these gaps through a comprehensive community-based approach. Aside from providing clinical services, ROH has built a province-wide network of 225 condom dispensers in partnership with local governments. These are strategically placed in public health facilities and places frequented by young people, where anyone can get condoms for free. 

The organization also trains Youth Advocates to lead peer education sessions, conduct community-based HIV screening, and distribute condoms. These efforts help normalize safer sex and early testing among young people.

Financial and psychosocial support for people living with HIV is a key part of ROH’s work. Clients from rural municipalities receive assistance for transportation, meals, accommodation so they can access care in Ospital ng Palawan (ONP) Red Top Center, the province’s HIV treatment hub. The organization also facilitates learning group sessions and refers clients to psychosocial services, recognizing that treatment adherence often hinges on more than just medical access.

Roots of Health has also invested in communication efforts to reduce stigma and misinformation. Its Facebook page “Keri Together” (Together, We Can), uses positive language to promote HIV awareness, link at-risk individuals to care, and create a supportive community.

During the visit, ROH’s local partners Tandikan Puerto Princesa, an LGBTQIA-led organization; Community for Positive Environment (COPE), a group of people living with HIV; and the ONP Red Top Center shared experiences supporting HIV prevention, treatment, and care across the province.

ROH has been working in Palawan since 2009 and has helped cut teen pregnancy in Puerto Princesa by more than 60% in six years. The organization is now expanding its services to other parts of the country, such as Mindanao, to address gaps in HIV prevention and reproductive health.

The post [PRESS RELEASE] Norwegian Embassy Officials Visit Roots of Health, Explore Deeper Partnership for HIV and Youth Health Programs appeared first on Roots Of Health.

We’re proud to share our 2024 Annual Report that features the year’s milestones and insights from 15 years of listening, learning, and evolving with purpose. 

From serving a few dozen women in 2009 to reaching millions with reproductive health services and education in 2024, the report showcases the impact of a bold, systems-based approach to health and rights in Palawan. It’s a story of community trust, government collaboration, and courageous work in places where it was most needed.

Read how we’ve helped drive a 60% drop in teen pregnancy; trained thousands of health workers, teachers, and students; built innovative tools like the I CHOOSE platform for youth; and how we’ve begun to bring our programs nationwide.

You’ve helped shape our impact thus far. Let’s continue to write the next chapters together!
  Read the 2024 Annual Report

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