The Philippines

Alliance linking organisation: Philippines NGO Support Program (PHANSuP)

With an HIV prevalence of less than 1%, the Philippines is regarded as a low-prevalence country. However, the country’s thriving sex industry, high sexually transmitted infection rates and instances of casual sex among young people, and irregular and incorrect condom use, highlight the potential for a rapid increase in new infections. HIV prevention efforts are key to avoid this explosion of new infections. The country is still recovering from a serious economic crisis and much of its scarce resources have been committed to other social and development priorities.

What we do

The Philippines NGO Support Program (PHANSuP) was set up in 1994 as part of a multi-donor pilot project to channel funds and technical support to local non-governmental organisations. It was one of the first Alliance country programmes and also one of the first to receive additional funding directly from other donors. The programme has a strong youth focus, with PHANSuP pioneering an annual youth camp for peer educators working on HIV/sexual health. This model has since been replicated in other countries in South East Asia. The Alliance has also supported PHANSuP to strengthen HIV prevention efforts with key populations, particularly with people who inject drugs and with men who have sex with men.

Future plans

The Alliance's direct involvement has decreased considerably since 2002, as support from other donors – particularly the European Union and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation – has increased. In 2001, PHANSuP revised its mission to reflect its growing focus towards youth and adolescent reproductive health, and away from HIV. As a result of these changes, the Alliance will phase out its financial support to PHANSuP in 2005, although PHANSuP will continue to be involved in activities supported by the Asia and Eastern Europe Regional Programme – thematic workshops and policy opportunities, for example.