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Dear members, dear friends, and supporters of Mabuhay!
A year of construction work is coming to an end! We can say "thank God" in several ways. First, because we now have a beautiful training and nutrition center and a well-functioning diagnostics center, and second, because construction work always brings a lot of unrest and dirt.
Do you remember...
Our new training and nutrition center was completed on August 30th. It took a little longer because the work was repeatedly interrupted by the weather. We are very grateful to now have an ample space for holding seminars and also as a base for our nutrition program. The second floor offers space for guests. As you know from my previous reports, we regularly have an increasing number of international guests who actively support our programs.
It's terrific that we can now offer them a space to retreat. We needed these rooms because there are no hotels in the immediate or wider area. The third room, which is not visible on the original plan, is a storage room. Here we can now centrally store all the items you send us, such as medications, aids, plasters, bandages, etc.
But as pictures say more than words.
Once again, with the help of the German Dental Aid Organization, we were able to build a diagnostic center for our patients this year. We now have a laboratory, a room for ultrasound and X-ray diagnostics, and a room for minor surgical procedures. X-ray diagnostics will be particularly beneficial for patients with tuberculosis. Due to poor hygiene conditions, ignorance, and the lack of comprehensive treatment, tuberculosis is still widespread here. Our team of doctors, who come from the USA every year, is already looking forward to opening the new operating room in January. The buildings will be inaugurated and put into operation at the beginning of January.
With these two additional buildings, our Mabuhay Clinic has become a true base for outpatients. Patients even come to us regularly from Catarman, where the hospital and physicians are located. We now have patients from all over Northern Samar. This year, the number of patients treated has increased again. I am proud and happy that we can help so many people here, thanks to your help.
From September 6th to 9th, Dr. de Cassan from the Hilfswerk Deutscher Zahnärzte (HDZ) visited us to learn about our project firsthand and to see the help the HDZ has already provided. He spent three strenuous days with us and even worked during our dental mission. He also gained a brief insight into the country (Northern Samar) and its people, as well as the local conditions and problems. You can read his report at:
http://www.hilfswerk-z.de/inspection-trip-to-the-Philippines.
I'd like to share something else extraordinary with you. In August, we received a new generator as a donation. Mr. Lee from Manila, who also remodeled our ambulance, suggested he could also contribute to our work here, given that so much help is being provided to the people here from Germany. I was deeply touched because you don't hear about something like that very often here, and then such a generous "gift" follows. The generator was urgently needed, as our age was becoming increasingly problematic, and our work requires us to rely heavily on electricity. I must mention again that we regularly experience power outages here, which can last from a few hours to a whole week!! Even during our dental mission, we had to resort to treatments with a flashlight (see picture above).
On September 25th and 26th, we held our annual retreat and volunteer outing. It is a small recognition of the tireless service they provide at our facility throughout the year. The weather wasn't so good, but it was good for everyone to get some distance from everyday life and meet up outside the clinic.
At the end of September, our volunteer nurse stopped working with us. She will now complete a stint at the local hospital before returning to Manila.
On September 25, Typhoon Ondoy hit the Philippines. The horrific images from Manila, with flooding, homelessness, and chaos, went around the world. Fortunately, we were spared in Bugko. The next Typhoon, Pepeng, on October 3, also spared us. For years, Northern Samar had always been at the epicenter of typhoons, so we were all the more grateful that we were spared this time.
At the end of October, Mabuhay Clinic called for us to be the first responders for a significant event for the first time. The Diocese of Catarman called for a year of peace and justice, which began with a peace march in which all parishes in the diocese participated through delegations. The reason for the Year of Peace and Justice is that there have been several vigilant killings in Northern Samar in recent months, including that of a priest. Unfortunately, the number is shockingly high, with 18 deaths in six months. Fortunately, the demonstration passed off peacefully.
At the end of this year, I would like to thank you all very much, also on behalf of all Bugkoano, because without the many helping hands and financial support, it would not be possible to implement and maintain such a program here.
At our Mabuhay ward, we now have a four-pillar program: Medicine – Nutrition – Dentistry, and the fourth pillar is education.
With best wishes for a happy Advent season and a blessed Christmas, I am yours,
Sabine Korth
Malipayon nga Pasko (Merry Christmas) from Bugko!
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