Discover
the unique and unusual—this has always been my mantra whenever I travel. I go
to great lengths to explore lesser known destinations to satisfy my desire for
new experiences. The thrill and excitement I get from exploring the
not-so-ordinary things in life makes the hassles and hazards of the trip worth
it all.
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Haven of hope for persons with disabilities
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Sometimes, however, one doesn’t have to go
too far to stumble upon something unusual. Sometimes it could be staring you in
the face. Somewhere out there, in a not so distant location, there’s something
fascinating just waiting to be discovered that could change the way one looks
at life.
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DJF provides hope to paraplegics all over the country
|
Novelist Marcel Proust aptly put it when he
wrote: “The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having
new eyes.” That’s exactly what happened to me recently when I embarked on an
unusual yet interesting sojourn to an uncommon destination—Davao Jubilee Foundation (DJF) in Davao City.
Organized almost thirty years ago, DJF is a
non-stock, non-profit organization offering physical rehabilitation services to
amputees and other people with disabilities, particularly those from armed
conflict areas in Mindanao. Together with the International Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC), it has established a state-of-the-art prosthetic and orthotic
workshop that is fully equipped to produce lightweight artificial legs and
braces made of polypropylene.
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DJF also provides free ear screenings to their patients
|
DJF is probably the only institution of its
kind in the country that’s supported by the ICRC, a neutral and impartial
global humanitarian organization that assists and protects victims of armed
conflict and other situations of violence. ICRC has been sending patients from
war-torn areas to the Foundation for over a decade now.
Aside from this, DJF also provides services
for the prevention of hearing impairment and rehabilitation of hearing
disabilities in partnership with the Christoffel Blinden Mission (CBM). The
foundation conducts ear screenings and provides interventions and referrals for
hearing impaired patients.
I’ve been hearing about DJF but it was only
recently that I got to know more about its significant contributions in
promoting the welfare and protection of the differently abled, people who have
limited and/or impaired capabilities to see, hear and walk—a largely overlooked
segment of the population which the United Nations refer to as “persons
with disabilities” or PWDs.
In its 2006 Convention, the UN defined PWDs
as “those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory
impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full
and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.” PWDs
constitute roughly 10 percent of the world’s population, with about 80 percent
of them living in developing countries.
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DJF's prosthetic and orthotic workshop
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I have a number of friends and acquaintances
who are PWDs that is why I was interested to visit DJF and see for myself what
exactly the Foundation is doing to alleviate their plight. Through this, I
wanted to help make life better and easier for some people I know who are in
dire need assistance from the Foundation.
What made my sojourn to DJF an extra special
one was the chance to catch up on things with its Operations Manager—Cheryl
Arellano or Che, as we fondly call her—who
happens to be a dear friend from way, way back. Whenever we meet in
parties and other gatherings, she always made it a point to remind me to pay
the Foundation a visit and write something about it in my blog.
Che, who happens to be a PWD herself, had
been egging me and our college buddies to pay her a visit but time constraints
and conflicts in our schedules kept us from going there until recently. When that day came, I was exhilarated to see
her as we listened to her briefing about the Foundation.
A couple of years ago, DJF, with the support
of ICRC opened its state-of-the-art prosthetic and orthotic workshop that is
fully equipped to produce lightweight artificial legs and braces made of
polypropylene, instead of fiberglass. With this, amputees can now have access
to durable and affordable prostheses manufactured at the Foundation.
Polypropylene, according to Che, is
relatively cheap, ductile, recyclable, and has a long storage life. She added
that the technology that DJF employs makes it possible for them to tailor-fit
the prostheses and make these more responsive and adaptive to the individual
needs of their patients.
The ICRC has been providing DJF with support,
enabling it to enhance its prosthetic services, which are one of the main needs
of people physically disabled by injuries resulting from armed conflict. DJF
has a gait training area where patients could practice using their new
prostheses.
Short as the visit to DJF was, I learned a
lot from my conversation with Che, not to mention, the quick facility tour she
gave me. Indeed, the differently abled—the paraplegic, the sightless, the
speechless, the hearing impaired—are just like us. They have their own dreams,
hopes and aspirations. With the support of individuals like you and me as well as
institutions like DJF, we can help them get back their life and find their
respective niches in the mainstream of society. :-D
Discover
the unique and unusual—this has always been my mantra whenever I travel. I go
to great lengths to explore lesser known destinations to satisfy my desire for
new experiences. The thrill and excitement I get from exploring the
not-so-ordinary things in life makes the hassles and hazards of the trip worth
it all.
Novelist Marcel Proust aptly put it when he
wrote: “The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having
new eyes.” That’s exactly what happened to me recently when I embarked on an
unusual yet interesting sojourn to an uncommon destination—Davao Jubilee Foundation (DJF) in Davao City. 
Organized almost thirty years ago, DJF is a
non-stock, non-profit organization offering physical rehabilitation services to
amputees and other people with disabilities, particularly those from armed
conflict areas in Mindanao. Together with the International Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC), it has established a state-of-the-art prosthetic and orthotic
workshop that is fully equipped to produce lightweight artificial legs and
braces made of polypropylene. 
DJF is probably the only institution of its
kind in the country that’s supported by the ICRC, a neutral and impartial
global humanitarian organization that assists and protects victims of armed
conflict and other situations of violence. ICRC has been sending patients from
war-torn areas to the Foundation for over a decade now.
Aside from this, DJF also provides services
for the prevention of hearing impairment and rehabilitation of hearing
disabilities in partnership with the Christoffel Blinden Mission (CBM). The
foundation conducts ear screenings and provides interventions and referrals for
hearing impaired patients.
I’ve been hearing about DJF but it was only
recently that I got to know more about its significant contributions in
promoting the welfare and protection of the differently abled, people who have
limited and/or impaired capabilities to see, hear and walk—a largely overlooked
segment of the population which the United Nations refer to as “persons
with disabilities” or PWDs. 
In its 2006 Convention, the UN defined PWDs
as “those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory
impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full
and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.” PWDs
constitute roughly 10 percent of the world’s population, with about 80 percent
of them living in developing countries.
What made my sojourn to DJF an extra special
one was the chance to catch up on things with its Operations Manager—Cheryl
Arellano or Che, as we fondly call her—who
happens to be a dear friend from way, way back. Whenever we meet in
parties and other gatherings, she always made it a point to remind me to pay
the Foundation a visit and write something about it in my blog.
Che, who happens to be a PWD herself, had
been egging me and our college buddies to pay her a visit but time constraints
and conflicts in our schedules kept us from going there until recently. When that day came, I was exhilarated to see
her as we listened to her briefing about the Foundation.
A couple of years ago, DJF, with the support
of ICRC opened its state-of-the-art prosthetic and orthotic workshop that is
fully equipped to produce lightweight artificial legs and braces made of
polypropylene, instead of fiberglass. With this, amputees can now have access
to durable and affordable prostheses manufactured at the Foundation.
Polypropylene, according to Che, is
relatively cheap, ductile, recyclable, and has a long storage life. She added
that the technology that DJF employs makes it possible for them to tailor-fit
the prostheses and make these more responsive and adaptive to the individual
needs of their patients.
The ICRC has been providing DJF with support,
enabling it to enhance its prosthetic services, which are one of the main needs
of people physically disabled by injuries resulting from armed conflict. DJF
has a gait training area where patients could practice using their new
prostheses.
Short as the visit to DJF was, I learned a
lot from my conversation with Che, not to mention, the quick facility tour she
gave me. Indeed, the differently abled—the paraplegic, the sightless, the
speechless, the hearing impaired—are just like us. They have their own dreams,
hopes and aspirations. With the support of individuals like you and me as well as
institutions like DJF, we can help them get back their life and find their
respective niches in the mainstream of society. :-D