The Barefoot Doctors project is designed to empower farmers and lay persons in conflict-affected communities on the basic aspects of the human body, the illnesses that attack it, and the possible remedies that they can do. They will be equipped with the knowledge and skill to render basic emergency care in situations such as fractures, wounds and provide primary health care for common illnesses. Their trainings will be within their community in order to highlight the potential diseases and situations particular to their setting. This set-up will also enable them to continue with their chores and daily work in the field. The trained villagers will then train other residents in their community particularly their household.

An overarching theme in the program is the issue on health and its value to peace and conflict work. Health is a common ground for all sectors to work at and take part in. Its multi-sectoral involvement and cooperation generates perspectives and disciplines that impact on economics, human rights, culture and development. As it is within the underlying context of many conflicts, the barefoot doctors are intimately related to the ongoing insurgency problems and sociopolitical structural violence. They are equipped in a stepwise manner to analyze not just individual illnesses and progressively the community fitness, vulnerabilities and resiliency to withstand structural inadequacies and misdistribution of services.

Likewise, the barefoot doctors are be able monitor consequences of armed conflicts, establish a surveillance system of risk factors for armed conflict, identify risk and protective factors that are associated with development of armed conflicts. Together with the villagers, concerned citizens and policymakers can evaluate societal and cultural factors that influence rates of conflict-related injury, illness and mental health. Strategies are developed to understand modes to prevent violent political transitions.

The project was initially set in a mountain village approximately 4300 feet above sea level, kilometers away from the Cauayan municipality center. The village is actually a cluster of around 64 communities with hills and valleys separating each from the other. In total there are around 200 people with mostly children (approximately 140 in number). Cauayan is situated approximately 130 km from Bacolod City, the central city of the province Negros Occidental.