A Sexual Health Survey was recently completed by Meaningful Volunteer as part of its Project Lifecycle initiative. The results can be downloaded here.
The survey focused on family planning trends and contraception awareness of the local woman of various barangays (villages) on the island of Tablas in the Romblon province. The barangays targeted were: Dona Juana, Binongaan, Lusong, Cagboaya, and Dubduban .
The local health care workers were trained for the distribution of the surveys to ensure an accurate accumulation of data without too many outside variables. Each Health Care Worker performed a mock interview with Eden Navia the district manager of Meaningful Volunteer to ensure the questions were asked correctly and that all relevant information would be gathered.
The surveys were conducted randomly throughout several villages to a wide range of women; ensuring accurate statistics could be produced.
The surveys were gathered, the results helping to determine efficient distribution and effectiveness of the SDM beads natural family planning method.
The follow-up interviews were made with the previously trained Health Care Workers, to test them regarding their knowledge of the SDM beads, offer revised information and answer any questions they may have come across during their implementation of the family planning method in their own villages.
Full training in the use of the SDM method was given to the healthcare workers at a late date.
Meaningful Volunteer (www.meaningfulvolunteer.org) is a 100% non-profit volunteer placement organization. It has successfully set up in the Philippines and has recently expanded into the parish of Buyaya in the Sironko district in eastern Uganda.
Project Lifecycle aims to provide couples of the island of Tablas in the Romblon Province of the Philippines with a cheap contraceptive method that works within the region's religious norms.
Many female Filipinas are denied basic family planning services due to financial difficulties, lack of education and religious choices. Meaningful Volunteer started Project Lifecycle to give Filipinas access to a 100% natural, cheap contraceptive method.
The Cycle Beads are based on the SDM (Standard Days Method) of birth control. It was developed by Georgetown University based in Washington D.C.
Cycle Beads help to reduce the average family size. The smaller family size you have, the more money you have for things such as food and education. Poverty goes down as family size goes down. The Cycle Beads are 95% effective if used correctly.
The necklace has a small rubber ring that is moved around the necklace one day at a time. The rubber ring starts on the first day of the women's menstrual cycle. If the woman has sex on the "brown bead" days, then she will almost certainly not get pregnant.