Team Dugong Bughaw, Inc. is a nonprofit youth organization in Iloilo City that started as a university project advocating for HIV awareness among Filipino youth.
Team Dugong Bughaw started off as an entry to Ideas Positive Run 6 under the Unilab Foundation with five members who were then studying at the University of the Philippines Visayas: Alexis, Jasper, Anjelou, Geeza, and Abigail. The five-member team was composed of undergraduate students taking up Public Health, Biology, and Communication and Media Studies. The team’s diversity was due to the fact that the members were already well acquainted with each other as classmates taking secondary education at Iloilo National High School's Special Science Class. They have found a sense of service through their high school experiences. Amidst the weight of academic and extracurricular ventures, the five still pursued starting an advocacy project through Project High Five.
As the months progressed, additions to the team happened. Five became seven with Jenn and Julius, two more Public Health students. To reach more of Iloilo City, Team Dugong Bughaw gathered representatives from ten city colleges and universities that made up the first official core team of Project High Five. These students became the peer educators of their respective schools and also took on the role of liaison between Team Dugong Bughaw and their respective educational institutions.
Now on its seventh batch of peer educators, the organization is on its way to expanding its mission from HIV to adolescent health and extending its mission not only to students but all Filipino youth.
The organization’s core values can be summarized using the acronym RISE.
WESTERN VISAYAS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE REGIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES WITH THE HIGHEST INCIDENCE OF HIV
In Western Visayas, the alarming spike in HIV cases among our adolescents and youth is both a revelation and a call for immediate action. Out of the 650 reported cases as of July 2023, a staggering 195 involve individuals aged 15 to 24, with a subset of six cases occurring among those ages 15 and below.
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FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE VULNERABILITY TO HIV OF ADOLESCENTS AND YOUTH IN WESTERN VISAYAS
LACK OF COMPREHENSIVE SEX EDUCATION
LIMITED SCHOOL PROGRAMS
CULTURAL RESISTANCE
SOCIETAL STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION
FEAR OF REJECTION
SILENCING CONVERSATION
LIMITED ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE
GEOGRAPHIC BARRIERS
FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS
LIMITED AWARENESS
LACK OF GUIDANCE
LIMITED PEER EDUCATION
EMPOWERING THE YOUTH
COMPREHENSIVE SEX EDUCATION
YOUTH-FRIENDLY HEALTH CARE SERVICES
COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS
COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS
OPEN DIALOGUE AND PEER SUPPORT
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Generation 6
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