Concepcion, Iloilo: Best Practice Model of an Integrated Population, Health, and Environment Program

Unknown to Dr. Banias, Save the Children has decided to tap local communities for their PESCO-Dev project, to include Concepcion, Iloilo. The Save the Children staff was tasked to search for LGUs with a setting that both presented reproductive health and environmental challenges and where the organization could test approaches that integrate population-healthenvironment (PHE)6 activities. It was felt that the integrated model would broaden acceptance for reproductive health and coastal resource management (CRM) activities. Despite the fact that Save the Children was not specifically focusing on poverty alleviation, it was believed that in the case of Concepcion, Iloilo, achieving PESCO-Dev reproductive health and environment objectives could help Mayor Banias achieve his goal of eradicating poverty in his municipality.