The journey of Lakbay Buhay Kalusugan

Less than a year ago, I left UNICEF and became part of the HealthPRO family. It was a move that was both exciting and unsettling. But when I learnt that I would be working with long-time partners like Probe Media Foundation and friends from the arts circle like Eyna Villar and Lakan Bunyi, I quickly adjusted to this new work environment.

It was May 2010 when we started dreaming about Lakbay Buhay Kalusugan (LBK), our response to the request of the Department of Health for a unique health promotion campaign. A 20-page proposal was drafted and revised many times. A "slice-of-life" illustration was drawn by a young artist, depicting what LBK would look like. A 15-slide Powerpoint presentation was turned into a winning Prezi presentation. The Prezi sealed the deal and LBK got the nod from the powers-that-be. A scale model or diorama was designed to sell the concept.

But to make LBK work, we needed a bus. We sent proposals to prospective sponsors. There were no takers at first. But when we met with Victory Liner, the stars conspired and LBK was set in motion. Victory Liner said yes in a heartbeat. We got our bus! Private sector and media partners came knocking one after the other.

In December, we had a motley group of supporters who believed in the project. In January 2011, we saw our bus, a second-hand model tagged as Bus #1804. In February, we had it disassembled and refurbished into a mobile clinic. And fresh from the factory, the bus rolled into Barangay Sta. Juliana, Capas, Tarlac for its maiden voyage --- bringing information and services to 358 Aeta fmilies, approximately 1,092 men and women, including 119 pregnant women, and over 300 boys and girls.

It took a crew of about 150 doctors, midwives, nurses, barangay health workers, local officials, drivers, community volunteers, soldiers, and artists to make LBK happen in Tarlac. But all the hard work paid off.

In between, we managed to stage an interactive health exhibit, and produce a catchy campaign song, radio spots, videoke songs, and video segments. The communication package is yet to be completed but there is time to get all these under wraps before the next LBK trip.

We saw, that despite the meager resources, we managed to bring smiles to the faces of children, men, and women. We hoped that we were indeed successful in making health fun and health information memorable.

Purists will ask for a scientific assessment. We will do that. But let not indicators dampen the unique experience the LBK gave us.

The best indicator of success that we heard so far came from Dr. Jeanette Lazatin, the assistant provincial health officer, who called the shots in Tarlac. "LBK is not just yours, it is ours," she said. When a local health official embraces LBK the way Dr. Lazatin did, we know that LBK truly is a journey worth taking.

And this journey has just started.