Ensuring Safe Procedures for Returning HIV + Migrant Workers 

      From 2004 and 2005, a number of HIV+ OFW returnees from abroad were brought to a government hospital immediately upon their arrival without having been properly informed about the reason why they were sent there. Because no timely endorsements were made to the receiving hospital from the airport welfare authorities, a number of them felt traumatized by the experience.

      When such concerns were brought to the attention of ACHIEVE by the hospital, it facilitated meetings and dialogues with representatives of the STD/AIDS Cooperative Central Laboratory of the San Lazaro Hospital, the Repatriation Assistance Division and the Planning and Program Development Division of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs (OUMWA-DFA), the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control of the Department of Health (NCDPC-DOH), Ports and Airports Health Services Division of the Bureau of Quarantine-DOH,  the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) Secretariat and Pinoy Plus Association. 

      The meeting resulted in a decision to set up a proper referral system between the concerned agencies in handling known cases of returning HIV+ OFWs. Concretely, it also resulted to the drafting of a Department Memorandum which included the functions and duties of the concerned government agencies, e.g. the Bureau of Quarantine to provide Basic HIV and AIDS information to arriving HIV+ OFWs and accomplish a referral form for San Lazaro Hospital or other medical institutions that deal with HIV and AIDS cases.  

     To enable the BOQ to undertake such functions. ACHIEVE coordinated the conduct of a seminar-workshop on HIV and AIDS counseling for BOQ personnel. Conducted in partnership with SACCL, PNAC and the NCDPC-DOH, the training included various topics such as migration realities, vulnerability of OFWs to HIV and AIDS, HIV 101, basic counseling and a discussion on the Department memorandum. BOQ personnel have also requested to attend the two and a half weeks counseling workshop of NCDPC, which is yet to be scheduled.

Reproductive Health Concerns of Migrant Domestic Workers

In 2005, ACHIEVE, Inc. conducted a research entitled, “A Survey of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Status and Needs of Filipino Female Overseas Domestic Workers,” in four different sites, namely: National Capital Region, Davao City, Cebu City and La Union). A total of 302 respondents were interviewed for the survey. The survey aimed to generate baseline data on the current reproductive health situation and needs of Filipino women working abroad as domestic workers, as basis and evidence in the development of programs and policies for them. HIV and AIDS issues were also explored in the research.  
The survey is timely, given the continuous surge of Filipino women leaving for abroad to work as domestic workers.  According to the POEA, there are about 60,000 to 80,000 domestic workers deployed every year with high concentration in countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, among other countries.
The respondents of the survey were between the ages of 24-44 and majority of them were married. Almost half of the respondents went to college while 33% finished secondary education. Common reasons given for working abroad were mainly economic in nature.
Based on the survey, the women domestic workers identified the following reproductive health issues:

The women migrant workers become more prone to reproductive health problems because of lack of knowledge on reproductive health. Twenty-three of the respondents did not know anything about STIs/RTIs.
The survey was conducted under the project, “Enhancing Access to RH Information and Services of Female Migrant Domestic Workers” supported by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).

ACHIEVE LAUNCHES NEW HIV AND AIDS IEC MATERIALS

The fight to stem the HIV and AIDS pandemic is far from over.  ACHIEVE contributes to these efforts with its publications and materials which were launched on October 27, 2006 at the Manila Pavilion.  Aimed at OFWs and program implementers, the materials were a result of collaborative work with other NGOs and communities of OFWs and People Living with HIV (PLWH).  These materials are available for advocates and program implementers at the ACHIEVE, Inc. office.

Philippine HIV/AIDS Registry