On 21 February 2010, WE International Philippines, in collaboration with Young Focus, Mr. Eberle, Dr. Martin Camara of Intercare and medical doctors from Makati Medical Center (MMC) led by leading pediatric pulmonologist Dr. Bong Rivera, launched the medical care program, “WE CARE”.

A total of fifteen doctors, including pediatricians, dermatologists, a chiropractic team, and nurses from MMC and St. Luke’s Hospital set up consultation booths in the Gawad Kalinga center in Tondo, Manila to conduct needs assessment, medical-history documentation and thorough medical check-up/assessment to over 200 of WE and Young Focus’ Sponsored Students in the Elementary, High School and University levels, as well as the Out-Of-School Youth group and some 65 in- and out- patients from the Child Center feeding program located on the Smokey Mountain dumpsite.

Private donors from abroad, through Chris Eberle funded and sourced for all medicines and clinical supplies from multi-vitamins and antibacterial medication to various specialized pediatric and adult medicines; which were dispensed immediately, based on the doctors’ prescriptions.

Intercare’s crucial involvement in WE CARE also enabled the identification of early signs of possible physical problems in most of the very young students. WE will now be able to monitor them and hopefully be able to help prevent commonly occurring problems through educational seminars and preventive care from Inetrcare’s chiropractic team.

By April, as a follow through of the initial medical assessment, WE CARE aims to setup a simple medical clinic inside the student center that will be manned by a doctor/nurse team at least one day per week thus ensuring a long-term healthcare support of the Young Focus students and babies and toddlers from the Child Center feeding program.

WE is deeply grateful to all who participated in this very important initiative, and helped make the opening of WE CARE an overwhelming success!

This is only the beginning what will be an ongoing program. WE plan to maintain regular WE CARE Medical Missions throughout the year, and deeply appreciate the willingness of so many to give of their time and donations – in cash, and in kind (medicines and medical supplies). Please let us know if you would like to support upcoming WE CARE events.

On Saturday, December 12, 2009, CROCS Philippines’ Franco and Kitty Limjuco, along with their adorable daughters treated twenty Elementary sponsored students, including Abegail Ofiaza, a 4th grade student their family is sponsoring through school, to an unforgettable trip under the sea at Manila Ocean Park. Complete with the special and extensive display of various jellyfish from around the world, and a magical Mermaids show!

It was an incredibly fun and educational day for the students from Smokey Mountain, topped off by an early-Christmas party-like merienda of spaghetti showered with gifts: backpacks, school supplies and new CROCS shoes for all the children and a big bucket of Noche Buena groceries for their families!

The student coordinators were almost in crisis figuring out how to help carry all the gifts as the children could not carry them all! It was such a memorable day for our kids who were overwhelmingly happy.

Thank you so much again to CROCS Philippines for bringing so much joy to the children of Smokey Mountain!

One month after Ondoy struck Metropolitan Manila and surrounding areas taking many lives and displacing hundreds of thousands of people, thousands of families continue to live on the roofs of their submerged homes or crammed together in makeshift shelters.

With the help of the Local Government of Binan, WE visited one such elementary school-turned-shelter last October 21 to distribute relief goods – food, toiletries and clothes – to the families who have evacuated there from severely flooded areas in Binan.  Classes were being conducted in the school grounds, tents substituting as ‘classrooms’ for the children to make room for five hundred families that were crammed into twenty or so classrooms.

While there, we were able to understand more fully the truly sad state certain areas like dela Paz were in.  And so WE International Philippines joined with other organizations helping in the area to form Help Without Borders, a group that meets every Tuesday to carefully plan and determine the best path from relief towards rehabilitation and development in Binan.

Last Friday, November 6, WE International Philippines held two activities to help the communities in Biñan, Laguna. In the morning, with the help of the local government’s environment department, WE performed a large garbage clean up in the still flooded barangay of Malaban.

In the afternoon, WE International Philippines, through the generous donations of friends, family and companies locally and abroad and partners in Help Without Borders: Brent International School (that was able to secure considerable donations from ABS CBN), Save the Children, Springboard Foundation, Hope Worldwide Philippines, Young Focus and the Local Government of Binan were able to distribute food, water, hygiene kits (toothbrush, toothpaste, bath & laundry soap, alcohol), and clothes to 2,000 families!  The event was a true testament to the benefits of collaborative effort.

The people of Binan, Laguna are deeply grateful as WE are overwhelmingly grateful for your continued support and for joining us help families rebuild lives, hopes and dreams.

Officers of the Missionary Society, the School’s student service organization, are helping residents of the Philippines – one slice at a time.  The officers – Amanda Dominguez ‘10, Emily Summit ‘10, Cam Parker ‘11, Will Schoder ‘10, Calla Chase ‘10, and Deane Schofield ’10 – as well as other student volunteers, held a pizza fundraiser at the Freeman Center during lunch on Tuesday, October 20, raising close to $400 for WE International Philippines (WEIP), an organization dedicated to raising awareness of and providing ways to respond to poverty in the Philippines. WEIP is currently working to help the victims of the most recent typhoon in the Philippines.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE!

In response to the sudden and great need that resulted from the damage and destruction caused by Ketsana and Parma, members of our team coordinated with and participated in relief operations throughout the metropolis.  Thanks to the generosity of our friends from all over the world, we were able to buy much needed water and food to donate.  The team also organized a unique and environmentally conscious relief operation wherein relief goods were packed in reusable blankets, pillow-cases, towels and bed sheets. The relief bags were distributed to Marikina, Paranaque, Pasig, San Juan, and, with the help of LBC in Rizal – even as some of these areas remained flooded.

Despite the damage, grief and sorrow typhoons Ketsana and Parma caused, they also brought out such awe-inspiring selflessness and generosity in everyone – friends, family and strangers from within the Philippines and abroad.  Amongst the most inspiring, WE International Philippines’ sponsored students and out-of-school youth from Smokey Mountain voiced out their desire to help and joined the WE team in packing and distributing relief bags to the victims of the typhoons as well.

* On Friday, 16 October, South East Asian Airlines (SEAIR), will be doing a missionary flight with the WE International Philippines Team at 6am to Baguio to bring medicines and relief goods: flashlights/batteries, candles/matches, soap, blankets, clothes/underwear, rice, cooking/eating utensils, water purification tablets.  WE will be hiking up to parts of Baguio and Benguet to bring relief and first aid to the people who have been and remain unreachable.

For Reservations please contact

Frank Auto

Intercare Makati - Clinic Manager

Phone Number +639228136997

Email Address: falxcerebellum@yahoo.com

Intercare specializes in making clients feel better by helping them return to a state of natural balance, empowering then to live a pain-free life.  Intercare services offered on October 10 are at a 30% discounted rate. We have a visiting Chiropractic Specialist from Norway joining us - Dr Jimmy Boharfa, D.C.

All the proceeds will go directly to WE HELP for the Typhoon Ondoy Victims....

SERVICES AVAILABLE:

Myotherapy
Medical Massage therapy designed specifically to address both chronic pain and injuries. It is aimed an isolating and fixing individual problem areas for the particular patient that typical massage therapist are not trained to do. It is a form of deep tissue body-work, which can be both relaxing and invigorating.

Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy
Rehabilitative Medicine is a highly specialized field that integrates the wisdom of several scientific disciplines and employs complimentary techniques such as heat, Myotherapy, and monitored exercise programs to enhance performance or heal injuries.

Chiropractic Treatment
Chiropractic is over a 100-year old profession which specializes in the natural, drugless and Non-surgical treatment of conditions that affect our bones, muscles, ligaments and nerves. We employ scientific manual medical procedures that are recognized by the World Health Organization to treat conditions such as Low back pan, Neck and Shoulder Pain, Scoliosis, Sports Injuries and others

ISMART- Graston Technique
ISMART and GT makes use of patented stainless-steel instruments that aid the clinician in detecting and treating soft-tissue dysfunction commonly seen in Chronic and Acute Pain and Injuries.

I-Stretching
I-Stretch is a Clinical Stretch that is designed to restore proper length and function to shortened and contracted muscles. Its immediate effects are an improvement in general flexibility and range of motion. You can do daily activities without difficulty or pain.

COST: Only $10 at the door. Please donate more if you would like to and if you can....

FYI - This is what a little over $10 can do according to dear friend and Director of Development for WE INTL. PHILIPPINES, Geni Psinakis :
A little over $10 = one LARGE relief bag with:

4 kilos rice 
10 assorted canned goods 
8 bottled water (500mL each) 
8 packs of noodles 
4 cans milk (317m

L per can) 
1 bar of soap 
4 packs of crackers 

A relief bag of this size will last one family of 4-5 members for 2 days! Think of what $20 or more can do!

For those who cannot make it but would like to donate, please go to:

http://www.weinternational.org.ph/typhoon-ondoy/

Also, the seriousness of Climate Change will be addressed. Most know what it is, but many still do not realize its severity...especially in developing countries wherein there is a lack of understanding due to the lack of educational support for the poor and language gaps of understanding. This lack of awareness needs to change today. Help make green education and proper sustainable urban planning and design development a reality in developing countries to enable adapting to the climate changes that the earth has already begun to experience.

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WHO: Every one who wants to know how they can help the typhoon victims and support a global cause...

WHERE: Temple Nightclub, 540 Howard St. @ 2nd st., San Francisco, CA (www.templesf.com)

WHY:
To be socially responsible and conscious and to come as one, unite and give unselfishly

WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 14th from 7 pm-1 am

So far these are the DJ's who are donating their time and talent:

PAUL HEMMING (TMG)
http://www.templesf.com/residents

DJ M3 (Green gorilla Lounge)
http://www.greengorillalounge.com/artists.php

DJ MFR (Transport Recordings)
http://www.myspace.com/djmfr

JULIUS PAPP (NeoDisco Music)
http://www.juliuspapp.com/

BRIAN SALAZAR (Temple, Meow, End Up, Lifesf)
http://www.myspace.com/djbriansalazar

FRANKY BOISSY
http://www.myspace.com/frankyboissy

ROUZBEH
http://www.back2basics-sf.com/index.swf

MEI-LWUN
http://www.mei-lwun.com/

PLAYDOUGHBOY (Freaks Culture Records, Mizumo Music)
http://www.myspace.com/playdoughboymusic

MICHAEL ANTHONY (Supperclub SF)
www.supperclub.com

DJ D-SHARP
www.therealdjdsharp.com

JERRY ROSS......and more!

Guest speakers on Climate Change and Global Warming

Guest speaker for WE International Philippines Efforts - Dave Lippiat, Founder and Director of WE International

JOIN IN ON THIS SPECIAL EVENING OF MUSIC, ART & COMMUNITY AND MAKE A LIFE-CHANGING DIFFERENCE WHILE YOU'RE AT IT!!

Hosts: Isabel Lozano, Rissa Artadi, Michelle Mari, Chris Pamintuan, Kris Gonzalez, Rachel Blanco, Nestle Lapena, Kollol, Richard Habib, Sarah Atkinson, Paul Hemming and Charleston Pierce :)

More than three thousand people braved the strong rains and winds in the Mall of Asia on September 13, 2009 to join Crocs' Prepare to Run!  The Limjucos had very generously offered to make WE International Philippines and official beneficiary of the run, and despite WE International Philippines' worries about the day's less-than-perfect weather, the people came - determined, it seemed, to make the Crocs Run a success in further helping the Smokey Mountain community.

By 5:00am, participants were signed-up and ready for their 3K, 5K and 10K runs and at exactly 6am, the 10K runners took their leave, followed shortly by the 5K and 3K runners.

The energy - not only of the running participants, but of the spectators and supporters as well -  was contagious and uplifting.  There were runners of all ages, and running groups comprised of work-colleagues, friends and families, some with very young kids!  It was a truly enjoyable event that helped raise P50,000.00 for WE's developmental projects for the Smokey Mountain community.