Susan Evangelista is the Founder of Roots of Health and currently serves as a consultant to the organization. Prior to the founding of Roots of Health, Susan worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines and went on to teach at the Ateneo de Manila University for 30 years. While a faculty member at the Ateneo, she also worked in Nigeria’s University of Maiduguri, in a Burmese Refugee Camp in Thailand, in Cambodia’s Royal University of Phnom Penh, and in Osaka Gaidai, Japan. She has published academic books and articles as well as creative pieces – both fiction and nonfiction – and handled various administrational jobs in the university, notably Chair of Interdisciplinary Studies. She also worked with ACELT, an outreach organization that conducts teacher training all over the Philippines.

In 2000 Susan retired from the Ateneo and moved to Puerto Princesa, Palawan, where she is currently a consultant at Palawan State University. Susan is also adjunct faculty with the SAIDI foundation in Manila and Secretary of the Board of Bahatala, a local orthopedic rehabilitation NGO, funded by the British Palawan Trust in England and the international Christian Blind Mission.

Susan received her Bachelors degree from Swarthmore College, her Master of Applied Linguistics from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, her Master of Asian Studies from the University of the Philippines, and her Doctor of Philosophy in Philippine Studies from the University of the Philippines.

Amina Evangelista Swanepoel is the Founding Executive Director of Roots of Health. Prior to this post, Amina spent two years at Human Rights Watch where she researched and documented human rights abuses in Asia. She also held a position with the Guttmacher Institute researching health and HIV issues among youth in Sub-Saharan Africa. She worked in the Program Division of UNHCR in India, where she created an HIV information curriculum currently being implemented among refugee populations in New Delhi. She also served as the Coordinating Manager at Anthony Knerr & Associates, a consulting firm specialized in strategic planning and counsel for nonprofits.

Amina received her Bachelors degree from Wellesley College, and her Master of International Affairs and Master of Public Health from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and the Mailman School of Public Health.

Marcus Swanepoel is the Media and Program Manager of Roots of Health. Prior to joining the organization, Marcus was an English teacher and taught at Bronx Preparatory Charter School in New York City, at Fish Hoek Middle School in Cape Town, South Africa, and at the Apostle English School in Taichung, Taiwan. Marcus also conducted Media and Web activities for Swecha – We for Change, a nonprofit environmental organization in India. He also worked for an online editing company, Edit.com in marketing and website optimization.

Marcus received his Bachelors degree from Rhodes University, his Post Graduate Diploma in Enterprise Management from Rhodes University and his Post Graduate Diploma in Education from the University of South Africa.

Rhealyn Paliza is the Associate Program Manager for Ugat ng Kalusugan – the local administrative arm of Roots of Health. Prior to joining Ugat ng Kalusugan, Rhealyn worked at Prime Educational Support, an organization that provides review classes for the National Teacher’s Licensing Board Exam.

Rhealyn received her Bachelors degree in Education from Palawan State University.

Josylyn Parreno Gulane is a part-time nurse with Ugat ng Kalusugan. Josylyn conducts all the reproductive and general health check ups the organization provides to women in our program sites. She also participates in educational sessions, teaching women and children about basic health and sanitation. Prior to joining Ugat ng Kalusugan, Josylyn worked as a nurse in both clinical and rural community settings with the Palawan Department of Labor and Employment in Narra. Before this post Josylyn was a Volunteer Staff Nurse with the Narra Municipal Hospital.

Josylyn completed a Bachelor of Arts in Nursing at Palawan State University. She passed the Philippine Nursing Licensure Examination in 2008.

Evetha Fem Gaton is the Child Health Program Associate with Ugat ng Kalusugan. Evetha runs, manages, plans and implements the organization’s education program for children and coordinates the nutritional support program sessions. Prior to joining Ugat ng Kalusugan, Evetha was the Program Coordinator of the National Leadership Training of the Agape Rural Health Program in Palawan. She also worked for the Literacy and Training Service of Barangay Irawan in Palawan.

Evetha earned her Bachelors of Secondary Education in English from Palawan State University.

 

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