{"id":21699,"date":"2026-04-08T12:54:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T12:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vivasalud.be\/?p=21699"},"modified":"2026-04-10T10:44:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T10:44:26","slug":"community-health-workers-philippines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vivasalud.be\/en\/blog\/2026\/04\/08\/webinaire-les-agents-de-sante-communautaires-aux-philippines-action-pour-la-sante-et-la-justice-sociale\/","title":{"rendered":"Webinar | Community Health Workers in the Philippines: Community Action for Health and Social Justice"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Webinar | Community Health Workers in the Philippines: Community Action for Health and Social Justice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Session organised by Viva Salud and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/chdph\">Council for Health and Development<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Friday 17 April<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>12.00\u201313.30 CEST<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>| 6.00\u20137.30 pm (Manila time)<\/strong><br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:21px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-3e41869c wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-principal-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/us02web.zoom.us\/webinar\/register\/WN_AA87EF7pTM-6osyAdUDdOg#\/registration\"><strong>Registrations<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Background\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Community Health Workers (CHWs) play a vital role in ensuring access to healthcare for marginalised communities and in strengthening community-based primary healthcare. In many contexts, they act as a bridge between communities and health systems, particularly in underserved rural areas and urban communities living in poverty, where access to formal health services remains limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the Philippines, the concept of Community-Based Health Programmes (CBHPs) emerged in 1973 as a response by communities, health professionals and social movements to widespread health inequalities and the lack of accessible public health services. Developed during a period characterised by political repression and deep social inequalities, CBHPs sought to empower communities to play an active role in addressing their own health needs. Over the past five decades, these programmes have evolved into a dynamic grassroots movement linking health, human rights and social justice, whilst advocating for a stronger and more equitable public health system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, Community Health Workers supported by the Council for Health and Development (CHD) continue to play a vital role in addressing the health needs of communities across the Philippines. They are often at the forefront of responding to crises such as natural disasters, public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and the everyday challenges faced by communities living in poverty. As well as providing health education and basic services, CHWs also mobilise communities to address broader social issues affecting health, including access to medicines, environmental risks and the right to quality public healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their experiences highlight how community-led health initiatives not only improve access to care but also strengthen community organising, solidarity and collective action towards the realisation of the right to health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:21px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Structure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Opening remarks<\/strong>&nbsp;(5 minutes)<br>Introduction by Medicus Mundi International<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Context setting<\/strong>&nbsp;(10\u201315 minutes)<br>A representative from Viva Salud will present the organisation\u2019s work in supporting social movements and community-based initiatives that promote the right to health and stronger public health systems.<br>A representative from CHD will then outline the background to Community-Based Health Programmes (CBHP) in the Philippines, a grassroots approach developed since 1973 to tackle health inequalities and strengthen community participation in health.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Panel discussion<\/strong>&nbsp;(40\u201345 minutes)<br>An interactive panel discussion followed by testimonies from Community Health Workers (short videos with English subtitles) highlighting the experiences of CHWs working in different contexts:<br>\u2013 The role of community health workers (CHWs) during disasters and health emergencies (e.g. the COVID-19 pandemic, flooding, evacuation situations)<br>\u2013 The role of CHWs in community organising and health campaigns \u2013<br>\u2013 The role of CHWs in wider movements advocating for people\u2019s rights and democratic participation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Discussion and&nbsp;<strong>Q&amp;A<\/strong>&nbsp;with the audience (20 minutes)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The format will enable participants to engage directly with practitioners and hear first-hand accounts from community health workers working on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:21px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-sr-3-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-9\">Speakers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Marie-Lou Badie \u2013 Policy and Campaign Officer for the Philippines, Viva Salud.<\/strong><br>She will outline the organisation\u2019s work in supporting social movements and community-based initiatives that promote the right to health and stronger public health systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Emelina Buenaventura \u2013 Executive Director, Council for Health and Development.<\/strong><br>She will outline the context of Community-Based Health Programmes (CBHP) in the Philippines, a grassroots approach developed since 1973 to tackle health inequalities and strengthen community participation in healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Marlyn Roda Sebastian \u2013 CHW, Pasig City<br><\/strong>She will talk about the role of community health workers (CHWs) during disasters and health emergencies (e.g. the COVID-19 pandemic, flooding, evacuation situations)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rosebe Tulawe \u2013 Community Health Worker, Quezon City<br><\/strong>She will outline the role of community health workers (CHWs) in community organising and health campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rayne Suyam-Gallawen \u2013 Community Health Worker (CHW) and staff of Community Health Education, Services and Training in the Cordillera Region<br><\/strong>She will discuss the role of community health workers (CHWs) in wider movements advocating for people\u2019s rights and democratic participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:21px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-3e41869c wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-principal-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/us02web.zoom.us\/webinar\/register\/WN_AA87EF7pTM-6osyAdUDdOg#\/registration\"><strong>Registrations<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Their experiences highlight how community-led health initiatives not only improve access to care but also strengthen community organizing, solidarity, and collective action for the realization of the right to health.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":21700,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[896,53],"tags":[401,176],"pays":[648,94],"class_list":["post-21699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actualites","category-agenda","tag-droit-a-la-sante","tag-droits-humains","pays-belgique","pays-philippines"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivasalud.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivasalud.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivasalud.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivasalud.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivasalud.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21699"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivasalud.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21699\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21715,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivasalud.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21699\/revisions\/21715"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivasalud.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivasalud.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivasalud.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivasalud.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21699"},{"taxonomy":"pays","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivasalud.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pays?post=21699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}