Before we arrived we sensed that our Philippine hosts were well organized.  Over the course of the past three weeks they have exceeded our expectations as they moved us swiftly from location to location, treated us to amazing Filipino meals and hosted us in the best of hospitality – Philippine Style.  I would certainly miss someone if I tried to identify the many civic officials, Rotarians, spouses and community workers who worked so diligently to ensure the completion of the project.  The presidents of the Paranaque Rotary clubs - Abundio “Jun” S. Punsalan – Paranaque Southwest, Olivia “Olive” Pangilinan – Paranaque Lakan bini, Leonidas “Leo” M. Tagle, Jr. – Paranaque Poblacion, Leonardo “Ding” B. Guinto – San Antonio Paranaque, Roel “Oey” C. Pena – Paranaque BF Homes, Lourdes “lu” D. Pabalinas – Paranaque Metro, Rolando “Rolly” Esguerra – Paranaque South, Nestor “Nestor” G. Alvarezas well as president Victoriano “Vic” Acosta in Palawan were keys to our success.  I would ask that they pass on our most appreciative thanks for all they, their members, community partners and their partner clubs have done to contribute to the successful distribution of 280 wheelchairs to needy recipients throughout the Philippines.  The organization and dedication of Past President Ador Tolentino is deserving of special commendation.  Your efforts exemplify the best of Rotary.  Your inspirational leadership has been crucial to bringing “Hope on Wheels – Gulong Ng Pag-Asa Tungo Sa Ginhawa” to a successful conclusion.

If readers would like more information about the Canadian Wheelchair Foundation they are directed to:

www.cdnwheelchair.com

In other countries a search under “Wheelchair Foundation” should direct you to the desired site.

We learned of many other interesting projects underway in Rotary District #3830 – water projects, education curricula, social justice developments, feeding programs, medical initiatives, co-operative marketing endeavours and elder care ventures.  If you are interested in partnering with Philippine Rotarians on a joint charitable venture I would encourage you to contact them at http://www.rotary.org


We were also able to visit Rotarians in Bohol.  They are in District 3860.  We would like to thank President Peter Crowther of the Tagbiluran club for his hospitality when we were hosted by past president Nila on the beach in Alona.  We hope that Irena Heberer is successful in the organization of a new club in Panglao.  These clubs also have many interesting projects which would welcome more support to enrich the lives of the residents of the island of Bohol.

Thank you for following our project as readers of this blog.  Knowing that you were sharing our journey inspired us. 

In conclusion, each of us was given the opportunity to share key personal moments to highlight the impact of the project. (Some had already returned to Canada and were unavailable to comment.)

Laurel – Jason with the green shoes. Making connections with recipients.

Maggie – Teo was so shy when we arrived.  He was making notes about the experience, not wasting a minute, he was ready for challenges.

Have

Opportunities for

People on

Earth

Tom – Carrying Rosalinda, a 13 year old burn victim of 5 years ago, from her bamboo shack in the woods to her new wheelchair, capped off an incredible journey. The five years she has laid in bed with little or no medical attention to the burns over 75% of her body have made me determined to get the care she deserves. Through the many Rotary contacts we have made here in the Philippines I am certain we can make that happen.

Doug – The support of the families of the recipients, respect by the young of their elders, parents proud of their children, seeing pride and dignity emerge.

Hansi -  As the chairman of the wheelchair portfolio  I would like to put things in perspective. In 10 years the foundation has delivered a little more than a million wheelchairs. But the need is much greater. Over 120 million wheelchairs are needed all over the world for people in  need. We, as Rotarians and friends, again made a difference with 280 wheelchairs for the people of Manila and the Philippines.  Our motto is easy - "To give, one wheelchair at the time, to all the immobilized people in the world in need!!"

Charlotte - Seeing the gross difference  between the have and have nots, and the difference a wheelchair can make to a poor family and its recipient.  So much more needs to be done.  I was impressed by the nuns making a vast difference in the lives of some youngsters even though they don't know where their next meal is coming from.

Urs – The company and hospitality, handing out wheelchairs in private venues off the beaten track and seeing the reaction of the recipients.  “The whole damn thing!”

Today’s story will take a bit longer to explain.  We left Puerto Princessa and drove up into the highlands in the north central region of Palawan.  Our first stop was at a boarding school first envisioned by the parish priest in the 1990’s.  He observed that his parishioners were spread out over a large region.  There were only three high schools in the region.  Many of the poorer farming families could not afford to transport their children to these high schools.  This was particularly a problem for girls.  The priest, who has now gone on to be an associate Bishop in Manila, dreamt of a boarding school where girls could come and reside while pursuing their studies.  With the assistance of the Jesuits, community volunteers and local Rotary clubs a 50 bed boarding school was built which now houses the students.  The goal is for the school to become self sustaining. The students, Salician Sisters of Dom Bosco and volunteers operate their own organic farm, raise chicken and pigs, and harvest rice on the school property.  They are completing a tilapia pond as part of their waste water treatment center.  Students learn practical skills that would enable them to develop their own small businesses in the future.  The first students graduated in 2006.  The support of patrons and donations has enabled several students to go on to college studying a variety of subjects such as math, science, accounting and teaching.  Other graduates now serve as role model volunteers at the school. 

Celebrating the Feast Day of Dom Bosco with the students.

Our wheelchair recipient was located by the students of the school while researching for a school project.  The assignment was to make the students aware of their good fortune of attending the boarding school by locating people in their community who were needier than their own families.  They located our recipient who is now thirteen years old.  She is the eldest of six children.  Five years ago at the age of eight she was carrying a container of fuel to her family compound.  She had been given volatile aviation fuel instead of regular fuel.  On the trip home she dropped the container and it erupted in flame burning her from the waist down.  She was given immediate aid but her family could not afford any follow-up treatment or drugs.  Her father is day labourer, her mother harvests what she can from the area around their home.  Their neighbours donated woven walls for their approximate eight by twelve foot bamboo framed home. 

Despite her still unhealed wounds, and the lack of pain medication for five years the recipient is known for her sunny disposition and ever present smile.  The students of the school have adopted her as their special sister.  They make trips to her home at least once a week with one of the Sisters to assist her with her studies and provide her with a connection to the outside world.  The recipient’s goal is to be able to go to Mass, continue her high school education and be with her peers. 

We travelled down the path to her home with the two of the Sisters from the school and a fellow Palawan Rotarian who is a community nurse.  We were joined by the recipients three youngest siblings and her mother.  Enclosed below are some pictures of our time with this precious girl.

Gina meeting Jovilian in her hut.

Tom carrying her out to her wheelchair,

Out and about in her new wheelchair.

This will be the most poignant example of the difference between medical care in the first and third world for those of us on the trip.

Teo's Story



About six years ago an anonymous donor made a decision to donate to the Wheelchair Foundation.  Five years ago a wheelchair arrived in the Philippines.  Teo was selected as the recipient of that wheelchair.  At that time he was in his fifth year of elementary school.  Five years passed and he is now in his final year of high school.  (Students in the Philippines are eligible for eleven years of schooling including kindergarten.)  Teo will be graduating in the middle of March.  He is described as diligent, hard working and attentive to his studies.  He is also known to be faithful in his religious devotions and an inspiration to those who know him.  As you will see in the following photos of his five year wheelchair, that gift has seen many miles of service.

A break adjustment, some new tires and this chair can be passed on.

Five years of trips to school on these tires.

From the rear showing the original Operation Wheelchair patch.

Teo's chariot for the last five years.

We arrived not knowing that Teo had been a past recipient.  It was heart warming to see the use recorded on the worn tires and faded fabric.  Yet the intergrity of the frame and the fabric have more years of service in them.  Once refurbished the wheelchair will be ready to bring joy to a new young recipient.  The five year old gift will be passed on.

Teo goals are to continue on to college and pursue studies in information technology.  We wish him well in his future studies.  What follows is a video of Teo getting into his new, larger chair.  That is followed by a few still pictures and a dedication.

Old and new side by side.

Teo sitting in his new chair.

Today's post is dedicated to the anonymous donor who enabled Teo to progress this far.  Perhaps somehow they will be able to view this post and witness the freedom and independence their gift has given Teo.

Today I would like to talk about some of the late middle aged and younger senior recipients.  Their reaction to receiving a wheelchair connects with me because we are of the same generation. When we were young we had dreams and aspirations; jobs, a spouse, children, recognition for our skills and a life of contributing to our community.  Then for our recipients something happened, it might have been quick - an accident or a medical trauma, or slow like a degenerative disease or an evolving medical condition.  Their life plan was revised and adjusting was challenging.  They became dependent on others for mobility and their most basic needs.  Family roles changed.  Life carried on but in a way they had never envisioned.

Then one day their community worker or other key contact let them know that they would be receiving the gift of a new wheelchair.  Time passed, "Can this really be happening to me?".  Delivery day came.  Anticipation, wanting to look their best when they met the delivery team.  Nervousness at meeting new people.  Yes this is really happening!  And then, you can see something happening - new dreams!  Increased independence, burdens removed from spouses and family - the gift of dignity!  A different view of their future - "Hope on Wheels" has arrived.  Tears of joy flow, bodies stretch, shoulders are drawn back and chests fill with new energy.  Children and grandchildren are proud of their grandparents and eager to tell us of what their parents and grandparents have accomplished and mean to them.  Pictures are taken, then food and conversations follow while we learn more about the recipients.

What follows is but a brief photo gallery of these special people.

A proud family.

Father and son.

Sharing friendship across the world.

Dignity and hope in the Philippines.

We are now back in the Paranaque and Manila area.  Yesterday we had the good fortune of being reunited with one of the recipients from our initial delivery last Sunday.  The middle aged man was getting around very well.  He had come to witness two boys from his community getting their wheelchairs.  The boys were not able to come last Sunday so we made a trip to their community to deliver them.  The pictures of the two boys are enclosed below.

A seventeen year old young man afflicted with epilepsy.

So small for eight years old, but so appreciative of his wheelchair.

We also had the opportunity to visit one of the local hospitals in a neighbourhood where the people would not have the ability to pay for the services.  One of our hosts is the hospital administrator.  Less than eight percent of the patients can pay anything for the services that are provided.  The level of medical funding and supplies is much below what we would expect in Canada.  However, the level of caring and dedication of staff was inspirational.

Our final wheelchair delivery was to a homeless middle aged man who lives on the generosity of the members of his Catholic parish family.  Our hosts commented that this would be our most important delivery of the day.  This recipients constant smile, upbeat outlook and humble but independent nature has allowed him to overcome the challenges of living with polio.  See below for a picture of this gracious man.

For the last couple of days we have not had access to the Internet.  We were working in towns and villages in the provinces of Batangas, Laguna and Quezon doing home delivery of wheelchairs.  Homes were small but well maintained showing the pride of their owners.  In villages families often live in compounds housing extended familes.  In towns and cities people most often live in apartments with less connection to their extended families.  We were also able to visit a retreat house and convent to deliver wheelchairs to Roman Catholic nuns living out their final years after a lifetime of service.  We met one sister who was 100 years old, yet she was not receiving a wheelchair, she was there to support some of the younger Sisters who were to be the recipents.  Our centinarian took her vows in 1930 and has so far given more than 81 years of service to her Church.
One poignant moment was when we delivered a wheelchair to a five year old boy in a village in Batangas province.  His parents stated that he had polio.  That delivery brought home a connection the one of Rotary's greatest goals - the eradication of polio.  Thanks to all Rotarians and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the support of the Polio eradication program.  Thanks also to our host Rotarians for following up on this reported case.
Our Filipino hosts continue to showcase the many impressive Philippine sites as we go about our deliveries.  They keep us well fed with a wide variety of Filipino delicacies ensuring we have the energy to complete our tasks.  Over meals and fellowship with our hosts at the end of the day they proudly describe for us the many and varied projects they sponsor - micro-credit, farming co-operatives, literacy programs, support for sexually abused children, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, retraining for handicapped workers, and many more.  Their conviction and enthusiasm is contagious.
Our next posting will be more pictures thanks to Charlotte who keeps me supplied with many options for inclusion.
Thanks to those back home and around the world who are following our blog.  Your support is uplifting!

Our group with two recipients resting prior to the first delivery.

Gina giving hope inside the hall as we wait to begin.

Charlotte and Amy assembling a chair for a young angel.

Doug assisting a young girl into her wheelchair.  She would later sing us a Tagalog love song to express her appreciation.

Hansi, Amy, Charlotte and Urs making adjustments to a chair while District Governor Villareal keeps an eye on the process.

Charlotte, Hansi and Amy - no words necessary to show why we do this.

Meeting local Rotarians prior to delivering wheelchairs to the homebound in Padre Garcia.

  

Maggie connecting with a truck driver who suffered a stroke seven months ago.  Inspiring hope, showing respect, the human spirit.