Fieke Maas Philippine Visit 2019

Orange House

Orange House is made for children with a disability. There are 9 children staying at Orange House. Two of the boys are going to school with the other children of RSCC. From Monday to Wednesday I got to work with the children and colleagues of Orange House.

Before I arrived I had asked if it was possible to hire a physiotherapist locally. But that didn’t work out, during my time in the Philippines I got to understand why. Physiotherapy isn’t such a common profession as it is in the Netherlands, and the physiotherapists either work in a hospital or leave the Philippines to work abroad.

On Monday I got to know the children of Orange House better and introduced the use of the lifter(tillift) and the sliding mat to the staff. I gave them instructions to use it for the moments to transfer the children from their cribs to the bathroom and vice versa, instead of carrying them.

On Tuesday we had a hydrotherapy session, with 5 of the children and all of the staff of Orange House. I gave instructions how to hold a child, mobilize their back and how to stretch their arms and legs during hydrotherapy. Because of the rainy season the temperature of the water was too cold for all of the children, but when the temperature of the water is warm it can be a great help for relaxation of spastic muscles.

On Wednesday I presented “Back pain prevention. Caring, carrying and lifting.”

First a short powerpoint presentation about the anatomy of the spine and the origin of back pain, with images I got from my colleague physiotherapist Ger Lak.

The aim of the presentation and workshop was to make the staff more aware of taking good care of themselves, their own posture and body, while carrying or lifting.

For myself it was great to see the group loosen up and have fun, while still being very involved with the assignment.

That day I also had the opportunity to give a summary with specific advice for all of the children, for instance the best postures or therapeutic exercises.

On Thursday we visited Mount Samat and Camaya Coast in Mariveles. I got to see a beautiful green country, the national shrine and starting point of the death march in Bataan. After that we had a lovely dip in the infinity pool at Camaya Coast.

In conclusion RSCC:

It was great to get to know the children of Orange House and the staff at RSCC.

Thank you for the good care, the great food, my introduction to you and your beautiful country. It was great to see your love for the children. It was a good way to get to know the caring character of the Philippino people.

Introduction to Amor Village and Tarlac.

We arrived at Amor Village on Friday August 2^nd. I was welcomed by the social workers and after the first meet and greet, food included, I was introduced to Amor Village. The children were out on the courtyard dancing and having a good time. My first impression was that it was a positive and joyful community. It feels like a great place to be and to work, and the colleagues made me feel very welcome at Amor.

Something I also really liked was that all around a lot of material was made out of recycled material. That is such a great and meaningful contribution.

On Saturday we visited Tarlac Recreational Park, Monasterio de Tarlac and the National Shrine at Capas. It was a lovely trip, and a great way to get to know my new colleagues and the area I was staying in. I got to learn some of the national history, by first visiting the Shrine at Mount Samat with the colleagues of RSCC and then in Tarlac visiting the National Shrine at Capas with the colleagues of Amor.

Amor Village

There are currently 112 children staying at Amor Village, all with their own needs of special care or attention. There are 24 children with CP staying at Amor Village.

Due to the great number of children and youths I didn’t have the opportunity to get in depth with all of the children or the house parents. At times I had to get straight to the point and act quite clinically. It was great to experience the cooperation of my colleagues and their eagerness to learn more to help the children.

On Tuesday afternoon I presented “Back pain prevention. Caring, carrying and lifting.”

Because of the large group that wanted to attend the presentation, the group was split and I gave two presentations. Both groups were interested, active and at times joyful during my presentation and workshop.

On Wednesday I had the opportunity to introduce the use of the lifter, both at the courtyard and in the dorm of CP C. The colleagues were eager to practice themselves. The support on the wheelchairs of some of the children needed to be adjusted and I had the opportunity to get to know the children of CP C a bit better. Therefore the house parents could ask for some more specific help, both practical and aimed at each child individually and they put my advices into actions where possible.

In conclusion Amor Village:

I really had a good time at Amor Village, I felt very welcomed by the staff, children and youth at Amor. There was a playful vibe in a place where everyone is working hard.

I liked the food, and I loved all the fresh fruit!

On Thursday morning I left for a long flight back home.

Of course I want to say thank you to Foundation Care for Children for this exceptional opportunity for me as a professional.  Especially Mr Paul Cornelissen who visited me while I was staying at both RSCC and Amor Village, so together we were able to work out some of the repair or replacement requests.

Thanks to Josephine, Ger and Quinten for sharing your experiences before I left.

Thank you to all of the staff and children of RSCC and Amor Village.