H C T V takes a forced break in October 2009

We spent a few days in the village last week & the roads have become very rocky and unsafe to drive on, due to the rainy weather & massive timber lorries that continue to cause damage. A van that travelled with us had a flat tyre on it's way out (on the jungle path, after dark), and so also a motorbike that accompanied us. While our little jeep made it out safely, much damage was done to the vehicle and our spines.

H C T V will be taking a break in October to allow our aching joints to recover, and also to give ourselves time to organise for another vehicle that will be hardy enough to take in our medical team from November onwards. Our most urgent need right now is a 4 X 4 vehicle that will allow us to continue with this mission, as the needs in the village are just too pressing for us to brush off just because of our discomfort. We will keep you posted on our developments.

In the meantime, we would like to urge you to spare a thought for the thousands of people still trapped in the floodwaters of typhoon Ondoy—or in relocation sites that have no food and drinking water. (Just in case you don’t know anything about what’s happening in Metro Manila and Rizal province, here are photos of the storm: http://fiveprime.org/hivemind/Tags/ondoy.)

Apart from sending drinking water & cooked food, Kerygma Family (a group that H C T V fully endorses & is a part of), will do the hard work of helping people rebuild their homes damaged by the floods—thus helping them rebuild their lives. It will be a long and difficult work—but Kerygma Family will be there for them.

Friends, we may not be there physically to help, but we can be their spiritual and financial support. First, pray for the victims. Pray for strength that they regain their hope. Many are devastated emotionally. Second, if you can, make a donation and help them.If you want to be part of our efforts to help Flood Victims, you can make a donation. Any amount will do. Click here to help the Flood Victims now! Or visit http://www.kerygmafamily.com/modules/subscriber/donationsondoy.php for more details.

Your donations will go directly to the flood victims. With your help, they can rebuild their homes and lives. May God's blessings be upon you & may He reward you for your generosity.

We are happy to include here 3 video clips of our activities during our latest trip on Sunday, 6th September. We did not have as many "patients" as we did last month, as the menfolk were busy building the 1st toilet in the village, with part of our team . So this time, we were able to spend quality time with the women & children.

Generally, the villagers are looking much better than they did last month (most of them were down with the flu then). Some had even put on weight...:) The usual health monitoring checks were done by our healthcare team, and multivitamins given to all. Some with skin problems were treated accordingly.

Kids were reminded on the proper way to wash their hands, as we found that most of them came with dirty fingers again. Health education is not something that can be done in just one visit & we will have to keep repeating ourselves till cleanliness & hygiene becomes a part of them.

The kids were really blessed this time with lots of donated breastmilk (above left), and multivitamins (above right) donated by some very kind individuals. To promote breastfeeding & the consumption of breastmilk, Baby Paradise contributed 100 pcs of breastmilk storage bags which will come in very handy for us to transport the frozen breastmilk in, as it takes up less space than bottles.

H C TV - 06 September 2009



During the health programme, the men were busy with the construction of the toilet as they had to make as much use of the available daylight as possible:


To keep the kids occupied after the health check (and to make sure no one falls into the septic tanks while the toilet was being built), WoA organised a fun time for the kids



Some well-meaning city folk are questioning the need for our frequent visits, but since we realise that the concept of hygiene is practically non-existent, we have to persevere. There are some really bad cases of skin disease among some kids - some of the pictures may be quite gross, but we had to share them so that we are all aware of the need for this program, and its related projects like toilet building & clean water supply.

A two-year old girl recently died after having diarrhea for just one night - while were shocked that this could happen in this day & age, we just can't sit around & complain about what has not been done for these people. While we all have to accept the will of God & realise that death is not something we can control, it is time we realise that one innocent life was lost while we're busy complaining about the authorities, what should be done & what wasn't done. It is time to get off our rear ends...time is not on our side - lives are at stake. You can make a difference:

Don't turn your back..Lend a hand...Do something..and Touch a life!

For details on how you can support this project, please email us at health.care.to.villagers@gmail.com