Entries by theremedy

Volunteer Trip 2018

After 4 hours in a bus, full of enthusiasm and treatment tables, we arrived at our destination in Kompong Thom, a province midway between the capital of Phnom Penh & Siem Reap.

Working with our local team of medical GP’s from our partner organisation One-2-One, our 7 volunteer therapists (6 myotherapists & an osteopath) would treat over 200 patients with various musculoskeletal conditions. These were patients that would not have been able to access our health services due to the lack of such services existing in the country or a lack of financial resources.

There were many touching moments & everyone had their own special memories from the treatment camp. 

One was with our youngest patient who was under 10. He was initially very hesitant and it wasn’t until his mother bribed him with 1000 Riels (25c) that he agreed to be treated for his chest discomfort. 

Another fond moment that was experienced was treating a patient and then the following day meeting her 81 year old mother and treating them too. She spent the whole morning walking in 38°C heat to get to our treatment camp.

It was amazing the lengths people would go to to attend our clinics and made our work that much more important knowing how far people would travel to see us. They showed such gratitude and warmth to our team and it was special to be able to assist them & help provide health education to improve their future outlooks.

An integral part of our trip was our locally trained therapist Sreypov Tan. A fundamental part of the volunteer trip was to provide her, and other therapists like her, with as much training as we could so that her skills could improve and she could continue to service the communities after our time in the provinces had ended. With further education & training to her and the greater community we can help improve their capacity & health for many years to come.

After a long, eventful, educational and emotional five days of treating a large number of patients and living the rural Cambodia lifestyle, we were on our way to Siem Reap to visit other partner organisations & explore the temples of Angkor Wat.

Phare Circus – Siem Reap

Today, I got the opportunity to work behind the scenes with the performers of the Phare Circus. This Cambodian Circus is an innovative social enterprise. The profits generated from the shows, refreshment & merchandise all go to support the free education, professional arts training & social support programs of Phare Ponleu Selpak in Battambang.

These Cambodian performers received raucous cheer & a semi-standing ovation at the end of their show. You can’t see the size of the big top in the photos & the videos don’t do justice to the quality of the show or the size of the crowd. 

It filled me with such pride to see how these amazing guys & girls represent Cambodian culture. I’m absolutely grateful to Phare for hosting me & allowing me the privilege to work backstage with their performers. 

I look forward to my next visit and assisting the Phare community further.

HOHA India Scoping Mission 2018 – Hyderabad

Next stop on the mission was Hyderabad, to meet with Brother Varghese Theckanath director of the Montfort Social Institute.

Montfort Social Institute (MSI) focuses on three important issues protection of human rights, sustainable development, and governance. They do a lot of community outreach & operate schools located in the slums of Hyderabad.

Brother Varghese made arrangements for us to do some treatment outreach in the slums to get an understanding of the needs of the community. This was one of the most mentally & emotionally challenging things I’ve ever experienced. The conditions they lived in & the physical conditions that they suffered from could easily have been addressed if access to physical medicine was more easily available.


Headquarters of CHAITRI

Brother Varghese himself had spent 12 years living in these slums and the things for which he has been able to do for these communities is endless. He’s assisted in lands rights issues, contributed to research in slums & created 28 schools in Hyderabad all in slums. Its admirable the amount of time & commitment he’s made to the people in these areas & it shows when you take a wander through with him. It feels like being around a celebrity as he has taught many of the people here.


The first school Brother Varghese built

We look forward to hearing more about Brother Varghese achievements & what we’re able to do to assist his continued mission in helping the people of the slums.

HOHA India Scoping Mission 2018 – Delhi

The last leg of our journey was Delhi. Our first meeting was with the Assistant Executive Director for Caritas India Father Paul Moonjely. Here again was another example of a remarkable individual. They are currently focused on providing palliative & financial assistance for cancer sufferers with over 20,000 volunteers being trained to provide support & counselling as well as creating the “Lavender Army” a group made up of entirely children volunteers in schools.

Meeting with Father Paul Moonjely

Next it was off to the Vatican Embassy for  meeting with the Director of the Catholic Nurses Guild of India, Dr Stephen.

With each successive meeting we were able to obtain a clearer picture on the healthcare needs of people throughout India.

 

We appreciate the time & hospitality that everyone extended to us. From the sisters at the FPCC to the people in the slums & their hospitality, we’re grateful for the time & lessons they were able to share with us. 

To the amazing individuals we met Sister Elsa, Mr Roy, Brother Varghese, Father Paul & Dr Stephen, we appreciate the time you spent with us & hope that we are able to more formally assist with your missions in the near future.