L.T. Ragas, J.N.M. Sescon, Remedios AIDS Foundation, Inc., - Youth Zone Cebu, Remedios AIDS Foundation, Inc., Youth Zone-Cebu 2/F Colonnade Mall-Oriente, Colon St., Cebu City, 6000, Philippines, Remedios AIDS Foundation, Inc. Metro Manila, Philippines.

Non-government Organizations, Government Organizations
and Private Sector Collaboration:
The Youth Zone Project Experience

ISSUES:

The growing trend of partnership between the non-government organizations (NGOs) and government agencies has been one of the contributing factors of so many successful programs and projects. Another arena that has been ventured into by NGOs is to gorge a triumvirate relationship with the business and private sector. In the past they were considered to be an outsider when it comes to discussion of social causes. But now they have also seen their social responsibility and has increasingly contributing to various efforts in forwarding certain social issues such as poverty, environment, and on our experience, on STD and HIV/AIDS.

DESCRIPTION:

The Youth Zone project of the Remedios AIDS Foundation is a shopping mall-based youth center that provides innovative information, education activities as well as direct clinical services in the area of reproductive health for the youth. The goal of the project is to empower the youth to make informed choices in reproductive and sexual health especially in relation to HIV/AIDS/STD prevention.

LESSONS LEARNED:

The support that was drawn from both the government and private sector strengthened the integrity and credibility of the project. The parochial attitude of having to exist for one's organization has been bygone. The need to expand and consolidate our stakeholders is seen now to be important for the needed structural and operational strength of the project.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Since the philosophy behind programs of NGOs is to supplement or complement government's insufficiency in its services that it provides to the people, the attitude that should be established here is the character of mutual support, that is, sharing of resources and information. The private sector should not be forsaken in this innovative endeavor because they are the untapped resource that contribute major needed logistics in the struggle for the advancement of our cause- that is the promotion of a health society in general.

Presenting author: Liz Ragas, Remedios AIDS Foundation, Inc. Youth Zone-Cebu, 3/f colonnade Mall-Oriente, Colon St., Cebu City 6000, Philippines, Tel.: +(632) 2550541, Fax +632 5223431, E-mail: liz_ragas@yahoo.com