Libreng Check-Up & Spiritual Counseling: Hongkong, 2007

Counseling Mission & Libreng Check-Up! Hongkong, 2007. Organized by M.A.R.C.H for Christ, in cooperation with Overseas Workers and Welfare Administration (OWWA) and Wanchai church of Christ. Held in Bayanihan Center, Kennedy Town, April 5&8 (1:00pm to 6:00pm) and Wanchai church of Christ (1/F 221 Jaffe Rd.) April 6&7 (10:00am to 6:00pm). This overseas mission was also sponsored by Globe Kababayan, G-Cash, Jollibee, and Pagcor.

There were almost 400 Filipina workers and church members consulted and counseled in the four-day event.

Although this medical mission was not the first to be held outside the country, but this Hongkong mission produced some of the firsts as far as the organization is concerned.

This is the first time that a consulate and labor official from Philippine government supported the event, and they even showed up during the Kababayan night held on the last day of the counseling mission. This is also the first wherein top Philippine companies became our sponsors.

Here in Hongkong, our traditional Talent Night was replaced with Kababayan Night, an activity that is especially dedicated to our filipina patients, wherein we raffled off worth hundred of thousand pesos of kitchen and household appliances such as flat irons, rice cooker, cooking stove, dvd players, etc. and the grand prize of a return trip-ticket Hongkong-Manila-Hongkong to a lucky OFW's. The occasion was also made lively with the performance of various Filipino organizations.

The team also would like the thank the Wanchai sisters for a warm hospitality they accorded to us, especially the food committee who treated us to a parade of international cuisine such as Filipino food, to chinese style steam-boat and the all-favorite Japanese sushi, maki complete with wasabe.

(The following is the comprehensive report of Bro. Chito Cusi, MARCH President)

M.A.R.C.H. for Christ
Counseling Mission & Libreng Check Up
Accomplishment Report

“We thank MARCH for giving us the rare opportunity in helping our kababayans there through brief counseling and free medical consultation. I pray that God will continue to touch more sponsors of similar event in the future. Kudos… to all the people behind the making of this endeavor. More power and God bless us all.”
DR. TERESITA SISON, psychiatrist.

(Edna and Claire, accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, in the presence of MARCH team at Wanchai church).

“I heard many good things from the ladies who went to see your counselors yesterday. I wish I had gone down to join. This is exactly what our OFWs need!”
Ms. TESS UBAMOS, Administrator-Bayanihan Centre.

This are just some of the many positive feedbacks we received from those who served with us and those we served during the “Counseling Mission & Libreng Check-up” for the OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) held last April 5-8 in Hongkong.

The Dream

It all started when Chito Cusi, President of MARCH for Christ, visited the Wanchai church of Christ January 1, 2007. There, he was touched to see OFW Ms. Luz Olidan. She had earlier returned to the Philippines for good to be with her family, and Chito had seen how happy they were together. Seeing her back in Hongkong working as a domestic helper, he asked the question, “Why are you back in Hongkong?”, to which she replied, “We have no choice.”

From there the burden was planted to be able to do something--not just for Luz but for the thousands of Filipinos in Hongkong who have no choice. The burden led to a dream. No such Counseling and Free Medical Mission had ever been done before, and this emboldened us even more to seek God’s provisions even as the days for preparation were just barely two months.

There was a time when we actually were about to give up. Initially only Globe had pledged to help as sponsor, and this would not be enough to finance a 15 person team of doctors and counselors. And then God’s answer to our prayers came! Globe said they would expand their sponsorship with the entry of G-Cash, PAGCOR followed suit and so did Jollibee. The office of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration also formally gave us their cooperation and manpower support.

The Preparations

The weeks that followed were, indeed, busy. Finalizing details and preparations with sponsors and firming up pledges. Doctors and counselors participation confirmed and flights booked. Since the mission trip would coincide with the Holy Week, flights were more expensive and available seats were getting fewer by the minute. An advance team was organized to finalize the venues and the promotions of the event with Filipino radio and print media in Hongkong.

The Visit with the Consul

The rest of the team arrived on April 3, Tuesday. The very next day we were at the Philippine Consulate to pay a courtesy call to the Consul General Alejandrino Vicente and held a meeting in his office with OWWA Welfare Officer Luz Mendizabal. Here we were told what we could do and what we should not do, at the risk of imprisonment. While this dampened our spirits somewhat, we were more determined to give better service to our kababayans.

That same afternoon we were at a 6-hour Counseling Workshop with one of the Team members, Dr .Tess Sison, psychiatrist. Dr. Sison served with us twice in Sri Lanka during the relief mission for the Tsunami survivors. Our doctors and counselors had likewise been to similar mission trips to Sri Lanka , Indonesia and Pakistan .

The Free Clinics

Our first day of work, April 5. Since the Bayanihan Centre was available only from 1pm-6pm, we held a dry run of sorts from 10 am-12 noon at the Wanchai church of Christ flat. We had the counseling sessions and free clinic at the church auditorium and had their members as our first patients. While the consultations were on-going, some of the team went to the Statue Park and Chater Garden to distribute more leaflets and to invite more people to come. This was our daily routine, leafleting and group counseling at Wanchai Church of Christ, Statue Park and Chater Garden from 10 am- 12 noon. It was really humbling to hear our fellow Filipinos relate their stories about life as a hired help in a foreign land. That afternoon we moved to the Bayanihan Centre in Kennedy Town where more people were given quality time in medical consultation and counseling.

In all, we treated 416 OFWs. While we had earlier targeted to hit the thousand people mark, the restrictions of the Hongkong government made it difficult for us to achieve this. We had brought several boxes of medicines to give away, only to be warned by the Consul and the OWWA Officer that we would be punishable with imprisonment if we were caught. What we did was to give quality time to our kababayans, talking to them about their medical problems, give oral consultations, get vital signs, general physical examinations and a lot of one-on-one and group counseling.

As expected, we had more people turning out on the 5th and 8th as these are holidays for the OFWs. 122 on 5th and 238 on the 8th. Just over 20 on the 6th and so with 7th. These figures are based on the list that we have. There were others who came for check-up but did not sign-up in the registration sheet. Many of the volunteers from IMAP (midwives association) and SouthCom and church members did not sign up but availed also of the counseling and check-up.

We had the most number of patients on April 8, Sunday. The Bayanihan Centre administrator was well-pleased with the work we did on the first clinic day that she allowed us to use of one of the upstairs classroom for our consultations, and then the open air basketball court for our Awards and Appreciation Program. So instead of starting at 1pm we started seeing patients at 10am . And we did not stop until the last patient was treated shortly before 6pm.

The Celebration

As a culminating event, we added fun and cheer to the event with a Kababayan Night. Performers from different Filipino groups enlivened the late afternoon affair which had almost 200 people in attendance. Inspite the shoestring budget we had, we were able to raffle door prizes ranging from dvd players, kitchen gadgets to the grand prize – a roundtrip air ticket to Manila .

There to show their support of this work were Labor Attache Atty Romy Salud, OWWA representative Miss Lennie and the Consul General himself Mr. Alejandrino Vicente. Representatives from different Filipino associations showcased their talents in the performing arts. Notably favorite was Atty Salud’s dance number with one of the groups to the tune of popular Filipino novelty song “Totoy Bibo”. His performance practically brought the house down.

Our Prayer

While it is true that Filipino OFWs have free medical services courtesy of the Hongkong government, we found out that our kababayans usually have a traumatic experience in the hands of Chinese practitioners. There is the biggest problem in communication that leads often to misdiagnosis, and patients usually having to take loads of medicine that do not address their complaints. Often there are cases of having an operation even when one is not needed.

Like what ConGen Vicente said in his talk during the concluding program, this mission trip was the first of its kind in Hongkong. And he has pledged his support and cooperation with MARCH to work on making arrangements with medical practitioners in Hongkong who are willing to front for our future medical teams. Filipino doctors and counselors such as from MARCH need to visit with our unsung heroes regularly to address their needs and assuage their fears as they labor in a foreign land. And we hope we will be an active and regular participant in this.

We pray that you will continue to support MARCH especially as we endeavor to render better service and show the loving care of Jesus to our kababayans through our medical and counseling missions.

Our Thanks

None of these would have been possible if not for our generous sponsors:

1. Thank you Gerry Ablaza of Globe Telecom and your Globe Kababayan (Bob Dolina) and G-Cash (
teams for your trust and confidence. May you continue to provide better service to our
nation.
Thank you to Chairman Ephraim Genuino and the Board of PAGCOR (especially Dir. Phillip Lo) for believing in this project.
Thank you to Jollibee Foods-may you continue to build a Filipino presence in Hongkong for our kababayans.
To the Missions Committee of Saturn Road Church of Christ in Dallas , Texas , your support of this project was heaven sent. You filled in all the blanks.

We pray for your untiring and continued support and prayers. We thank each of you for believing in this project when nobody else would. May our God continue to richly bless you in every way.


Sincerely,

MARCH for Christ
Medical Action for Relief, Counseling & Healing