Report Team 3

Team 5 prepares for departure and team 4 is at work in San Joaquin. Susanne Mebes and Katarzyna Ostendorf from team 3 wrote down the following impressions:

Just like our colleagues from team 2 we were shattered by what we saw after our arrival in Tacloban and San Joaquin. It is hardly imaginable how the places look like that were destroyed by the typhoon. Everywhere garbage, destroyed buildings and stench of burned plastic. Only at the end of our stay you could see the green of the new plants in the grey-brown landscape.

The takeover of the work in the camp on Sunday was characterized by great friendship and helpfulness of our colleagues. It was the first aid mission for both of us, Susanne and Katarzyna, so everything was new to us. The training was a good preparation for us, but still the contents of the KIT boxes were sometimes a surprise for us. The previous teams had also purchased many other medicines for the actual demand and we needed to get to know the stock of our pharmacy. We optimized the daily work for us and reorganized the stocks.

The collaboration with the doctors and paramedics from NAVIS was characterized by mutual trust in respective competencies and continuous agreements. Like described by team 2 before, we needed a lot of flexibility and creativity at our work.

The teamwork with NAVIS was great fun. The jointly prepared dinners were delicious every time. The cool hours after that and the conversations in a language we needed to understand first (Bavarian) are unforgettable. Especially the jokes, that we needed to be translated to German.

We won’t forget the omnipresent children with their plays, dances and songs.

In der Erinnerung bleiben auch die allgegenwärtigen Kinder mit deren Spielen, Tänzen und Gesang. From big to small they all romped in our camp as well as in all other camps or mobile hospitals. Their untamed joy of live was contagious.

We also participated in church live. The visit of the mass, which was celebrated by the bishop, and the following banquet were an expression of the enormous hospitality of our hosts. We met this hospitality everywhere. The patients were not only very patient and waited in queue for our doctors and after that for us, they were also always very friendly. Sometimes we all laughed together after we explained the intake of the medicines, especially the usage of metered dose inhalers. The people helped each other when one of them didn’t understand English very well or didn’t understand our drawings on the medicine bags because of lacking art skills on our side.

One thing surely stays in our Philippine memories: the church bell. Its unforgettable sound waked us every day at 4 am. The last days it was accompanied by Christmas carols from the speakers of the church. Many colleagues have a new alarm tone in their mobile phones.

Working on Christmas

On Boxing Day maintenance works were due on the drinking water treatment plant for the first time after several weeks. The technicians had to fix a technical defect on a big NAVIS power generator as well as a burst feed hose for the drinking water treatment plant. This was the one of the reasons why the supply of drinking water was a little less than normal with 3 000 l instead of 4 00 l.

The medical staff had to treat about 160 patients after only 40 patients on Christmas day.

Meanwhile all volunteers of the 12-headed team are well. The atmosphere in the team is still very good, also because the catering became more and more varying because of a better availability of fruits, vegetables and bread.

On Christmas Eve there was a big Christmas service in church which was also attended by the arch bishop. Our team also participated in performing a German Christmas song for the whole congregation. With several talks the representatives thanked NAVIS and PSF Germany for their help in San Joaquin. Finally the whole team was invited to a great joint dinner. Unfortunately not all team members could attend the dinner due to illness. With temperatures up to 40°C and extremely high humidity some volunteers need a break.

Team 3 - mobile clinic and ambulance

Team 3 - Impressions San Joaquin

Christmas and New Year in San Joaquin

Whilst team 3 Susanne and Katarzyan have safely arrived back, PSF members Urlike and Bettina are now in San Joaquin, where they spend Christmas and New Year. Recent pictures to follow shortly.

Team 2 reports after its return to Germany

 Team 2 came home on Wednesday morning after two and a half weeks in the Philippines.
Petra Isenhuth, pharmacist for PSF Germany, describes her impressions and experiences during the mission:
This was the first mission in emergency aid for me – side by side with many experienced team members, which gave me a good feeling from the outset.
Now I need to process all the impressions and to arrive in the “normal” pharmacy life
I will never forget our arrival in Tacloban after the flight from Cebu in a transport machine of the South Korean army. At the beginning I hid behind my camera, but after I put it away, I could hardly accept the extent of the desctruction as real. At our arrival in San Joaquin we were warmly welcomed by team 1, the priest and a lot of children. For two nights we stayed in the camp with 24 people, a little bit cramped, but possible.

Very soon we got explained the code of behaviour (- always sturdy shoes there are snails at the river! - no paper in the toilets!!!!) and showed such essential facilities as this "toilet" and the shower. The toilet is the only thing left from the house that was at that place. The self-made shower is operated with water from the drinking water treatment plant. After that, we visited the main pharmacy. Petra and Steffi from team 1 packed one mobile pharmacy each for the missions to the surroundings the next day. Andrea and I were already responsible for the main pharmacy. After surprisingly good sleep - thank you dear Koreans for the ear plugs! - the Medi team starts to work and Andrea and supplied the patients. A lot of our patients have dry coughs. Since the villagers
have begun to burn everything of their destroyed stuff that is inflammable, the smoke-filled air irritates the respiratory tract even more. "Cough and Cold" will be the words most used in the next days besides the explanation of the intake. Another focus are injuries - the villagers clean up, but most of them don't wear sturdy shoes - simply because they don't have it anymore. Wounds that need to be sewed and tetanus vaccines are on the agenda today.
In the evening the two "mobile" pharmacists return, all together over 100 patients were treated out of the camp. And we get the information that it is worth to look for other project places out of San Joaquin. The dinner - MREs (Meal, ready to eat) with illustrious names like "South American vegetable chilli" or "Indian rice pan" raise my expectations... - finally it is only important that you have eaten something. And drink, drink, drink - at least three litre a day, Navis-water with drinking powder, to substitute not only the water but also the electrolytes lost due to respiration.
The next morning starts with the farewell of team 1. Everybody is looking forward to getting home.... Our doctors do a exploratory trip to look for further need of medical care. They are successful: on the following days we will treat over 100 mobile patients besides about 60 patients in the main camp. I really enjoy the work in the mobile team - as Andrea wants to deal with the purchase of new medicine, I often go out with the mobile team. We go for example to Mayorga south of San Joaquin, where already about 150 patients wait for us in front of the school doors. Apart from a short lunch break in the air-conditioned car (only for cooling our vaccines!), we work until nightfall. Nevertheless, there are still patients, so we continue our work the next day until we drive to a refugee camp nearby at noon. Here we are eagerly awaited as well - "Commandante" - the no more than 1,45m high, newly chosen for her position boss has already prepared a place for our doctors and the pharmacy. The people here often have nothing left, so when asking for a teaspoon I often see shaking heads and I need to be creative for the right dosage. Despite everything I feel gratitude and friendliness from everyone - many reach for my hands to thank me...
After the first weekend, we got to a small hospital in Dulac (a half-hour drive) for the coming week. For two days Andrea accompanies the doctors, and then I go with them again. At the end, we will have treated and supplied over 1500 patients - an incredibly good feeling!
On Sunday, the 8th of December, one month after the disaster, our village holds a Commemoration Day. After the service many sit at the graves in front of the church and mourn killed or missing family members. I find a paper sing listing 22 names of one family and "...die on 8.Nov." ...
And nevertheless, nobody resigns to their fate or freezes with their grief and lethargy, everybody pitches in and cleans up, they take responsibility for each other and care for every village member. The caring intercourse - especially with the children - and the respect and deference for the elderly will stick in my mind.
In spite of all destruction, all suffering - a good feeling, to have joined and helped!!
(After my arrival in Germany, I realize that the topic "Hayan" has nearly disappeared from the media...)

Team 3 takes over

Since last weekend the third team with Katarzyna Ostendorf and Susanne
Mebes is in the Philippines and continues the work in the camp. We carry
on to treat about 200 patients daily.