It’s that time of the year again! The time when our pokey little community centre begins to accumulate boxes of medical supplies that get pushed into every nook and cranny as the Volunteer for the Visayans team once again gears up for their annual medical mission.
This year, the venue is Dagami, Leyte , a landlocked rural town 32km from Tacloban City with just over thirty thousand people. By local standards, the municipality is classified as third class with it’s main industry and income coming from coconut, rice and corn farming – around 37% of its population are unemployed and many of those who are employed only make meagre wages.
With the support of our good friends at An Waray Party List and a number of Leyte’s charitable municipal doctors, Volunteer for the Visayans will be aiming to provide free medical services to some of the towns poorest inhabitants. This simple day long event, is not only a means to alleviate some of the health and economic related concerns in the community, but also acts as a token to remind local residents that they’re not forgotten about.
Keeping to our tradition, the event will also be supported by our international volunteers, some of whom will be participating on VFV’s Rural Health Clinic project.
With exactly 60 days left to go, Volunteer for the Visayans is requesting extra support in order to help replace some of its redundant medical equipment which is used during the mission. For any individuals or groups looking to help support this cause, please contact our Community Program Coordinator at wimwim@visayans.org. Aside from this we’re also still accepting applications for any individuals who are interested in volunteering for the event.
VFV has a long history in providing free healthcare for the less fortunate and hopes to continue to this obligation with maximum success on May 19, 2012. For further inquiries and more information, please feel free to contact us.
Michelle Candelaria