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Tuesday, July 23, 2002
Channel of help
By Leticia Suarez-Orendain
Lapu-Lapu city recently had something to smile about.
The Channel of Hope Foundation (CHF) and the Cebu Missionary Foundation came with free dental care, the CHF’s team of Danish dentists, and the Lapu-Lapu District Hospital.
Alicia O. Abing, the hospital’s Administrative Officer 2, said, “The Channel of Hope has been donating medical equipment such as dental chairs and accessories, and second-hand beds from Australia. They have repaired our Nutrition Rehabilitation Ward for Malnourished Children.”
She added that CHF has worked with Operation Restore Hope (ORH), which has been doing medical missions (harelip surgery) at the hospital since the 1990s.
It is only this year that CHF did a mission themselves, this time dental care.
“Naa silay mga dentista nga Danish. Gigamit nila ang among dental clinic.
Duna pud mi among dentist nga si Dr. Marjorie Oporto to work with them.”
Hundreds of people responded, whether the mission was held at the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center, or at the hospital or at the Bancal, Pool dumpsite in Lapu-Lapu city.
Jenny Bayog heard of the dental mission from a neighbor and came on Thursday with her son.
Another mother, Evelyn Soon, arrived with April Rose, her daughter, not knowing they had a surprise.
“Paibtan nakog ngipon si April Rose. Wa ko magdahom nga dunay mission. Nalipay gyod ko nga nalibre.”
April shyly said she liked the show that was presented before she underwent tooth extraction. “Nalingaw ko sa clown. Didto sab siya sa sulod sa clinic.”
Asked about the mission of CHF, Flemming Hansen, a Danish missionary, did away with jargon.
“Its mission is basically to help the poor. The Channel of Hope is a Christ-based foundation.
I have a mission statement this thick (demonstrates with his index finger and thumb). It’s just to help the poor - basically the children - any way we can.”
Hansen is the project coordinator of Family Care.
“CHF is a project of Family Care, which has headquarters in the States. It exists in other countries like Australia, Denmark and South America.
“It is differently named in the Philippines because there are so many groups that have “family” in them. It is to distinguish it from such groups.”
Marie Tangalin, a CHF missionary, said, “The organization was founded in Manila three years ago by Melody Aguilar. Her husband, Romeo, is the president.”
Through the ORH Hansen learned that they needed help on the dental side of the mission.
“That’s when we started contacting dentists in Denmark and in Europe and asked if anybody would like to help and come out here. We got a lot of responses,” Hansen said.
The dentists in the team are Jens Laetgaard, Camilla Amtoff and Lotte Kjaersgaard.
A feature that makes the dental mission interesting is the participation of a clown, played by Hansen’s wife, Elizabeth. She is better known as Clown Lizzie.
Her presence makes the children more relaxed and ready for the ordeal ahead.
One boy said she is different from the hamburger mascot. “Gwapa siya.”
The dental team said that they too had benefited in a way.
Amtoff, 29, said that the mission helped her practice her profession, but the condition at the dumpsite was an eye-opener.
“It makes me want to do this work, this mission all my life. It was horrible to see how many poor people there are. Denmark’s problems are very small compared to this. I have friends who think having no boyfriend is already a big problem. I want to teach my children someday what a real problem is and bring them here to make them realize what is important.”
Tangalin said that CHF has missions at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Parian Drop-in Center, and the Gualandi Mission for the Deaf.
Elizabeth noted that CHF started working in Manila in hospitals with cancer patients and later doing ministry at the Manila jail.
“They do it every week. Their work involves giving information against drugs, encouraging the parents of cancer patients, praying for them. We really believe that God can take care of everything. God can heal. God cares. And as much as we do a lot of work, we always pray for people because prayer is powerful. When we pray, things happen. It makes a difference. God has creative power and He just needs our intercessory prayer for others. God is the one that heals.”
They have a logo that says, ‘Together we can make a difference’ which is fast becoming true.
Hansen said, “I’ve been at the dump site two times now. The first time it was quite shocking. But now I see how it is. I like to take people there. Like to show them a part of the Philippines that obviously needs help. Because oftentimes when people are faced with a need, they will want to help. That’s what we do.”
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