Miracle boat brings mobility aids
Published: April 11, 2006
Eight hundred miles from Manila on the Philippine island of Masbate, Frankie Villarin sits outside his home, earning what little he can making roofing from palm leaves.
He was born with one of his legs missing, and at 30 years old he has never been further than a few hundred yards from his doorstep.
“I have dreamed of having a leg,” he says, “so I can walk, leave my home and earn a proper living.”
A few miles away in the village of Curvada, Michelle Aplacador helps her mother grind corn.
Michelle is one of four children. But unlike the others, she was born with no legs and only one hand.
It has left her virtually a prisoner in her own home.
She says: “I feel isolated because the rest of my family can go out and go to school, but I have to stay at home, doing simple tasks.”
Boat workshop
These are the forgotten people of the Philippines - one of the most beautiful countries in the world, but also one of the poorest.
Nearly half the population live on less than £1 a day.
An estimated 10% are disabled and most of them live hidden away on its 7,000 islands, unable to reach any medical services.
Now a French charity, Handicap International, has come up with a simple solution to their problem - if the people can’t come to the facilities, bring the facilities to them.
The Hilwai is a 50 foot floating orthopaedic clinic.
For the last year, the boat has been touring the islands of the Philippines, bringing treatment to disabled people, some of whom have spent years coping with no help.
It is the brainchild of Ben Gobin, who runs the Philippines section of the French charity Handicap International.
“Everybody thought we were crazy to do it,” he says “because no one else had done it before.
“Once they were convinced, things became technical. We had to design the boat specifically for carrying out our services.”
‘Initiative for survival’
Although the charity is French, the boat is staffed completely by Philippinos. There are six medical staff and four crew.
Much of the boat is taken up by a workshop where prosthetic limbs are individually crafted by orthopaedic technician, Elmar Villagamas.
He is disabled himself, the victim of a bombing incident in which he lost the use of his legs.
A 30 year civil war has contributed to the high numbers of people with disabilities in the Phillipines.
Elmar doesn’t let his disability get in the way. In fact, he says, it helps him understand his job better.
Resources are scarce and the team have to make use of whatever they can.
In the workshop, they are using an old refrigerator compressor as a suction machine. It cost them $5 dollars in a junk shop.
Elmar calls it “initiative for survival”.
Each campaign targets one island or part of an island and lasts around three months.
Herbal plant treatment
For its latest campaign, the boat has docked in the port of Cataingan on Masbate. The island is one of the poorest in the Philippines.
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