Hi everyone!

Some of you may know that over the past two years I’ve been traveling to the Philippines while completing my Master of Public Health at Biola University. I went with a team from Meeting TENTS (Meeting The Everyday Needs To Survive) alongside my professor and mentor. Those trips were truly life-changing and deepened my passion to bring health and hope to underserved communities around the world.

As I begin the process of applying to medical school, I have an incredible opportunity to continue partnering with my former professor and Meeting TENTS to help launch an HIV program at a local clinic in the Philippines. I’ll be on the ground for about a month to help start a testing program and train the clinic staff.

Meeting TENTS is covering my flights, visa, ground transportation, and travel fees. This fundraiser will help cover my room and board, food, HIV test kits, and other essential clinic supplies. I’d be deeply grateful for any support you can give toward reaching this vulnerable and underserved community.

Below is more context from Meeting TENTS about the work taking place in the Philippines:

⸻

Meeting TENTS HIV Program in Davao

Meeting TENTS has been working on HIV education, testing, and access to care in Davao City, Philippines since 2018. After conducting a community assessment, we facilitated a bi-national training with the Department of Health (DOH), where our team and local leaders—including doctors, social workers, and pastors—were certified in HIV counseling and testing. Since then, our research has been published in peer-reviewed medical journals.

We are now entering the next phase: implementing HIV counseling and rapid testing within a clinic.

Although less than 1% of the Philippines’ population has been diagnosed with HIV, only 2.3% of the population has ever been tested. Over the last decade (2014–2024), HIV cases have risen by more than 400%, even with extremely low testing rates. DOH recently reported that 80% of new cases are among youth and young adults ages 15–34. This underscores the urgent need for expanded education, counseling, and testing services nationwide.

When someone living with HIV begins treatment, they can live a normal life expectancy and stop the transmission of the virus. There is so much hope in identifying people early so they can receive care and prevent further spread. We believe this collaborative effort can help the region strengthen HIV testing and prevention and reduce the overall burden of disease.

Angelina's Global Health Project

By Meeting TENTS

Angelina's Global Health Project