Bicol Clinic Foundation Relief Efforts: Nepal 2019
It was another sweltering June day in Nepal, temperatures were over 100+ and the humidity made the air painful to breathe. The Bicol Clinic’s Team of Doctors and Volunteers were there, 20 strong, running our Free 30-day Clinic, with the beginning of our anticipated over 3000 patients lining up outside the clinic since the early morning hours.
The morning clinic went well, with our Doctors, medical students and volunteers working steadily, triaging the illnesses and attending to the various wounds and ailments. The 30 day Free Clinic and Cataract Surgery Camp was in full swing.
On his first mission as a Bicol volunteer, was longtime patron and generous donor to the Bicol Clinic’s past projects, Mr. Jack Weiselberg from the Florida and New York Area. Dr. Schuster and Jack had long since discussed over the years having him accompany the Bicol Clinic Team on an overseas mission. This year, the timing was right for the Nepal Clinic and Jack found himself on a plane halfway around the world.
What many people who are just learning about the Bicol Clinic Foundation may not be aware of, is besides our free clinic and Disaster Response Team missions, we also sponsor orphanages with food, clothing, medicines, school supplies and toys. A visit to the Orphanage, LIGHT FOR NEPAL’S CHILDREN is always a special, touching stop for our team when in Nepal. This trip we brought the whole team to meet the children, caretakers and Doctors who call L.F.N.C home.
When our team got to the orphanage, it was hotter inside the building than out in the scorching noon day sun, and the team and Jack could see how miserable the children and the caretakers were. When Jack looked up at the ceiling, he saw it was made of metal, effectively making the rooms into mini furnaces, and there were on a couple of anemic, small fans blowing hot air ineffectually around. Knowing he was able to make a tangible difference to these children, Jack made it possible for Bicol Clinic Foundation to immediately begin buying building materials and hire workers to build a new, more heat efficient ceiling while also purchasing new fans to keep everyone cool.
The immediate difference of comfort and livability once the ceiling was completed was amazing and those who called the orphanage home were overjoyed!
The children and their caretakers took it upon themselves to decorate homemade signs and write personal messages of thanks to Jack expressing how much happier they are in their modified home, thanks to his generosity.
To Jack, from The Bicol Clinic Family, of which we consider you a huge part of, we would like to thank you for all that you have done over the years but most importantly for your incredible kindness to the orphanage. We also know what an intensely private man you are, and we are grateful you have given us your permission to tell this very special and unique story in the hopes it may inspire others to “look outside the box” and see that there are many ways to help The Bicol Team carry out it’s mission, 15 years and going strong!
