June 5, 2007

Former ACDI/VOCA Employee Elected Vice Mayor in ARMM

Running on the slogan, “Your choice for better health and development,” Dr. Moh Shan Abdulwahid, a former ACDI/VOCA employee, was elected vice mayor of Sibutu municipality in May 2007 in Tawi-Tawi province of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in southern Philippines. After four years working with ACDI/VOCA as a health advisor and advocate to local government units (LGUs) in ARMM, Dr. Abdulwahid embraced the opportunity to improve health policies more effectively from within the government and will continue to work towards the objective of building and sustaining healthy families in the region.

As vice mayor of Sibutu, which has over 25,000 residents, Dr. Abdulwahid will have a direct and lasting influence on health policy reform, extending the effects of the ACDI/VOCA project. Dr. Abdulwahid will preside over the municipal council, chair the health and education committee and is responsible for organizing and chairing local health and education boards.

Dr. Abdulwahid is a native of Tawi-Tawi, an underdeveloped ARMM province composed of 307 isolated islands and islets. Like other ARMM provinces, Tawi-Tawi suffers from poor overall health and an inadequate healthcare system that struggles to meet its residents’ health needs, particularly in the areas of maternal and child health. Through the USAID-funded Enhanced and Rapid Improvement of Community Health and ARMM Health-Sustainable Health Improvements through Empowerment and Local Development projects, ACDI/VOCA has worked to build and sustain healthy families by empowering local communities and increasing the local and regional governments’ capacity to address and improve health in a sustainable way.

As a medical doctor trained in community health at University of the Philippines-Manila, Dr. Abdulwahid played a critical role in ACDI/VOCA’s health projects. From 2003-2007 he worked closely with the ARMM Department of Health and other local government units to increase government funding for health-related programs and strengthening LGUs’ roles in promoting improved health status for its constituents. Dr. Abdulwahid was also critical in the implementation of civil-military medical operations, helping coordinate the joint U.S. Navy and Armed Forced of the Philippines MEDCAP missions that serviced the health needs of over 13,000 residents. During his time with ACDI/VOCA, Dr. Abdulwahid was nominated and selected to attend the prestigious Population Leadership Program (PLP) at University of Washington-Seattle as a Packard-Gates Fellow. At PLP, he received a graduate certificate in public health, concentrating on international health and maternal and child health.

One of ACDI/VOCA’s primary objectives is to build local capacities and enhance opportunities for its beneficiaries, which includes project participants and local staff like Dr. Abdulwahid, who design, supervise and implement ACDI/VOCA projects. ACDI/VOCA takes pride in its contribution to developing local professionals and leaders who continue to empower communities and individuals after their work with ACDI/VOCA has ended. To learn more about ACDI/VOCA’s commitment to sustainability and legacy organizations, please visit our Sustainability section.