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Dear members, dear friends, and supporters of Mabuhay!
Alexandra D. from Paderborn and Birte L. from Lübeck were with us from August 29th to September 14th. Ms. L. stayed until September 21st. Both had completed their dental studies in Hamburg and now wanted to help our poor population. With great energy and enthusiasm, they both went to work, performing fillings and prophylaxis. Unfortunately, they also had to extract many teeth because there was no way to save them. Therefore, our fluoride prophylaxis program also aroused great interest among them. They watched the volunteers' work and made adjustments where necessary. Some of the children subsequently received dental care.
Since October 22, a radiologist from Catarman has been visiting us once a week to perform ultrasound examinations. This is an excellent help in diagnostics.
From September 13th to 19th, we were in Manila with our volunteers for the 1st International Symposium on Moringa, called Malungay here. It's a plant that grows easily here and is high in nutritional value, rich in vitamins and minerals. We already use it in our nutrition program and want to give it a central place in our medicinal plant project. Therefore, we made the very long journey. It took us almost 24 hours to travel the 750 km to Manila, just to give you a sense of the journey. We heard and learned a lot in the seminar, and the long journey was well worth it. Much about Moringa has not yet been researched, but the factual reports speak for themselves. Its nutritional value was well known, and there are initial studies in cancer treatment, wound care, and diabetes management. Fifty countries were represented, which shows that this plant is of international interest. The Asia-Pacific Economic Summit, attended by 21 countries, was taking place at the same time, so security measures were tightened and traffic was unbearable. Even short journeys took an eternity.
The time has finally come! Our multi-purpose building is finished!
I've repeatedly talked about the progress. Unfortunately, the completion took a while. We owe a massive debt of gratitude to the German Dentists' Aid Organization, led by Dr. Winter, because without him, this building wouldn't exist. Many others also helped with large donations to set up individual rooms, but I'll report on that later. I would now like to introduce the rooms.
The building has two floors. On the lower level, there is a water station, two offices, a pharmacy, a cafeteria, a small COOP supermarket, a storage room, an electrical room, and a restroom.
On the upper level, there are two dental treatment rooms, a dental x-ray room, another storage room, a patient restroom, and two additional guest rooms with a kitchen and lounge.
There are balconies on two sides.
Now back to the first floor:
1) The water station: Water is life! It was donated to us as emergency aid by the Rotary District of Bonn after Typhoon Haiyan. Installation and commissioning were delayed because we wanted to integrate the station into the building. The reason for this is that after the last major typhoons, Haiyan, Glenda, and Ruby, clean drinking water was only available in limited quantities. Since then, the number of patients with gastrointestinal illnesses has steadily increased. Clean drinking water cannot be taken for granted here, and we are very grateful to the participating Rotary Clubs for agreeing to this water station immediately after we submitted our application. We can now provide alkaline and mineral water to the population. The water comes from our own spring and has been tested for purity. Two volunteers attended a training course in Tacloban and are now busy filling water containers every day. Demand is high, and we are happy to provide clean drinking water to the poor here. A massive water tank completes the room.
2) The two offices: One is for Sr. Veronica and one for the manager of our Coop store
3) The pharmacy: Since more and more patients are coming to us and need medication, we came up with the idea of building a pharmacy. This will streamline clinic processes and give more people access to our medications. The pharmacy is managed by one of our volunteers, who a pharmacist assists. Unfortunately, as many of you know, it took us over three years to find a pharmacist. Medical professionals are still hard to find here, and we're in high demand.
4) Cafeteria: Many of our patients come from far away, and some arrive without breakfast because they have a lab test. There was no other place for patients to get food in our immediate area. The cafeteria was the solution, and it's been very well received.
5) Coop Market: The small Coop store will offer consumer goods at stable prices so that the population of Bugko is no longer exposed to price fluctuations in stores. The most important consumer goods here are rice, sugar, soap, coffee, etc. The shelves are still empty because the Coop market has not yet been put into operation. A members' meeting has already taken place, and it will open in the new year.
6) Storage rooms: The storage room on the first floor will be used in the future for the goods in the Coop market, and the other for medical supplies.
7) Electrical room: Here you will find the power distribution box and the large compressor that supplies both dental units.
The second floor:
1)Two dental treatment rooms: one in green, the other in blue. The green treatment room is our old unit, which was transferred from the clinic. It still functions well, allowing two dentists to work simultaneously. In the past, two dentists always came to us, and now they can work in parallel. The Rotary Club of Wildeshausen funded the new blue dental room. The dental unit is newer and offers a high standard. It has been used several times by visiting dentists with great satisfaction and has already proven itself. Both rooms have been equipped with air conditioning by the German Dental Aid Organization, making working in our tropical temperatures bearable.
2) X-ray room: Simple dental images can be taken in this small X-ray room. Next to it is an open room where instruments are prepared.
3)Guestrooms
4) Kitchen and living room
Of course, there are also restrooms for patients on both floors.
The months have flown by, and once again we are at the end of a year. I want to thank you all once again, also on behalf of all Bugkoano, because without the many helping hands and financial support, it would not be possible to provide and maintain so much diverse assistance here.
And so, with best wishes for a happy Advent season and a blessed Christmas, yours,
Sabine Korth
Malipayon nga Pasko (Merry Christmas) from Bugko!
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