Maternal care for indigenous women in the Philippines

The road from Sitio Gawasan, on the Philippines island of Mindanao, to the nearest district health centre is a long one. Accessible only by foot or via bumpy motorcycle ride, the journey can take up to four hours – a trip few expectant mothers from the local indigenous Arumanen community can afford to take.

Those who did make the journey often had to forgo cultural practices and preferences associated with childbirth.

So when an old government structure was turned over to the community last year, Arumanen leaders set aside the space for a culturally sensitive birthing facility and health centre, aiming to make these vital services more readily available to local women.

With support from UNFPA, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, and the EU-funded Indigenous Peoples Maternal, Neonatal, Child Health and Nutrition Project in Mindanao, the new facility now offers pregnant indigenous women in the community an alternative to home delivery.

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