got some spare change?

(apologies to those who already got an email about this)

Everyone reading this is from a country where people have the right to make their own decisions about family size. We have health services that support our decisions, and health facilities to look after us after we make those decisions. If we want family planning advice, it's readily available. If we want contraceptives, they're easy to find and not beyond our financial means. I wish I could say that the same is true for the Philippines. Instead, it's scarily the opposite. Despite a constitution that promises so, women's sexual and reproductive rights are not being upheld here. Access to reproductive health information and services is poorly lacking, especially in the provinces. Health facilities are dismal, out of date, and lacking basic equipment. The government only supports natural family planning, yet it doesn't teach it effectively. Previous mayors of Manila even put in place bans on modern contraceptives. Can you imagine that?
I could go on and on, but it's very depressing and I don't have enough space!

Meaningful Volunteer empowering women in the poverty-stricken province of Romblon through a new family planning program. While we'd like to offer modern contraceptives, the influential Catholic church would throw a hissy fit and kick us out in a second. So instead, we're introducing a new form of natural family planning: one that appeases those who it needs to appease, as well as having a scientific basis.
(drumroll please) ..... Introducing the Standard Days Method! It's an easy to learn, CHEAP fertility-awareness method of natural family planning that is 95% effective if used correctly.

On July 21 and 22nd, Mitos Rivera from IRH in Manila will be visiting us here in Sugod to conduct a two-day training seminar on the SDM. Village health care workers will be trained to teach local women how to use this family planning method. This training seminar is absolutely vital to our project.

Unfortunately, this training seminar is going to cost a lot. Not only do we have to pay to get the trainer here, but we've got equipment costs (sound system, microphone, generator in case of a brown out), hall hire, feeding all the participants, transporting all the participants etc etc etc.
Malcolm and i are both contributing our own money towards this, but volunteering chews up money, and we cannot cover all these costs.

We need about another P3000 (NZ$97 , US$62, AUS$78) to cover these costs.
Please, please, please consider donating maybe $10? This project will positively impact these communities in a direct way. Access to family planning resources is a right we all take for granted, but women here do not yet have the means to fulfill their rights.

You can donate two ways
1) via paypal: contribute@meaningfulvolun

teer.org
2) via direct credit to Meaningful Volunteer's New Zealand bank account. (email me if you're interested)
I'll post pics and video of the training next week, so stay tuned!