Inter Pares is pleased to announce Global Affairs Canada (GAC) will support our counterpart Likhaan Center for Women’s Health in the Philippines, through a new 7-year project entitled Sustainable and Transformative Action to Realize SRHR (STARS). 

The project—with a budget of over $7 million—will support Likhaan to consolidate their network of health clinics, increase their financial sustainability and pilot their innovative public health-care model with allied organizations. STARS will also introduce new services to Likhaan’s existing clinics, and improve access for more women, adolescents and LGBTQI folks to free, high-quality service by facilitating their registration with PhilHealth (the Philippines national health-care insurance program). The project will also enable Likhaan to train and equip adolescent volunteers to educate and inform their peers about sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), expanding Likhaan’s already ongoing public education.

Inter Pares has worked with Likhaan since their founding in 1995. In 2015, with funding from GAC, Inter Pares was able to assist Likhaan to set up a series of formal clinics that were accredited by the Philippines Department of Health and PhilHealth. These non-profit clinics generated revenue from PhilHealth for the services they provided—marking a step toward financial sustainability for Likhaan. In 2019, Inter Pares again secured funding from GAC for Likhaan to expand their network of clinics, train a network of youth volunteers to reach out to their peers, and to strengthen advocacy around SRHR issues in the Philippines, like getting comprehensive sexuality education into schools.

“We are thrilled to be able to deepen and expand our collaboration with Likhaan, who have provided thirty years of expertise and compassionate care in women’s sexual and reproductive health,” says Rita Morbia, Inter Pares Program Manager. “STARS will build on Global Affairs Canada’s previous investments to support Likhaan to provide the very best in community health education and clinical services.”

"STARS will strengthen our capacity to advocate for changes in government policies and regulations to make sexual and reproductive health better for all people in the Philippines,” shares Dr. Junice Melgar, co-founder of Likhaan, “We are grateful to the government of Canada for not only recognizing the importance of this advocacy—but ensuring it happens through this long-term investment in our work.”

Inter Pares looks forward to continuing to work together with the government of Canada to improve the lives of women and adolescents and their families in some of the most marginalized communities in the Philippines.