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Dear members, dear friends, and supporters of Mabuhay!
On the weekend of August 13-14, my nephew Florian Steffens came to visit Bugko. He was doing an internship in Manila at the time. After we visited some of the destroyed houses, he was put to work immediately.
Dr. Georg Fobes from Bonn visited us for the second time. He brought Florentin von K., a medical student, with him. The two worked together as a good team from August 24 to September 14. Dr. Fobes was amazed by the clinic's developments, and Florentin gained insight into the work of a base station with limited diagnostic resources. Many patients came every day to consult with the new German medical team. Sometimes the examination room shrank to the size of a tricycle (motorcycle with a sidecar). In addition to their daily clinical work, both gained insight into our other programs, such as the fluoride prophylaxis and nutrition programs, and were able to lend a hand by transporting materials for the new houses we built after Typhoon Melor.
The two of them had barely left when Dr. Carsten Hansen and his wife Doris from Wildeshausen came to us for the fourth time on September 18th to support our dental clinic. They had once again collected many donations in kind so that the dental clinic is now perfectly equipped. Both of them have been sacrificing part of their vacation for years to help the poor population here. The prophylaxis program, initiated and supported by the German Dentists' Aid Organization, is particularly close to Dr. Hansen's heart, and he examined almost all the children in Bugko. By consistently implementing the program, he saw initial successes and encouraged our volunteers to continue. He performed many treatments and saved a number of teeth. Unfortunately, some could no longer be saved and had to be extracted. Dr. Hansen and his wife are a well-coordinated team. They also saw our other projects and diligently helped wherever help was needed, and gave swimming lessons in their free time.
Our annual fiesta took place on October 4th. It's comparable to our parish festivals in Germany, only celebrated differently. Our volunteers proudly marched in the parade.
Our large medicinal plant project was completed, funded by the Rotary Clubs of Siegburg, Brühl, and Bornheim. It was a long time in the making, so we are all the more pleased that it is now complete. In the new building, we will produce medicines approved by the local DOH (Department of Health), such as Lagundi syrup (for coughs), Sambong tea (for kidney diseases), aloe vera ointment, and more. These medicines are intended to bridge the gap between traditional healers, who are still widespread here, and pharmaceutical medicine. Furthermore, the medications are very inexpensive to produce and therefore easily accessible to the poor. Many of our volunteers have already been trained in the production process, and more will follow. In addition to the production hall, a drying hall for the leaves was built, and a garden with DOH-approved medicinal plants was planted. Here are the pictures:
At the beginning of November, we completed our Caritas Germany project. It was emergency aid following Typhoon Melor, which destroyed large parts of our village in December 2015. The aid focused on building shelters for the local population. We were able to repair or even rebuild over 300 houses. It was a wonderful feeling to give people a home again. Many Bugko residents had no way to rebuild their homes on their own because they didn't have a regular income. What was nice was that the typhoon brought people together. They helped each other transport materials and build houses.
Some samples:
Before:
After:
On November 7th, our long-awaited X-ray machine arrived in Bugko. Due to poor weather conditions, our joy was even greater. Once again, the German Dental Aid Organization, under the direction of Dr. Winter, helped us. Thanks to the new electrolyte meter for our laboratory, also purchased through the organization, and the new X-ray machine, our clinic is now fully equipped for patient diagnostics. It's a massive relief that we no longer have to send all patients to Catarman for diagnostics. The local radiologist reads the films daily, allowing us to evaluate them quickly. The new laboratory equipment is an excellent help to us in managing patients with high blood pressure.
Another long, eventful year lies behind us. Many patients came to us from all over the province, and some even from outside the province. Thanks to your help, we were able to help so many people and do good. We had many visitors and completed many projects. Thank you/SALAMAT for all your help and support! We appreciate any support, whether financial or in-kind. Everything goes where it's needed, and so I wish you a happy Advent season and a blessed Christmas. Yours,
Sabine Korth
Malipayon nga Pasko (Merry Christmas) from Bugko!
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