On November 6, YFC-A was recognized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for their medical mission called Oplan Malanday. Oplan Malanday was YFC-A’s response to support the area of Malanday, Marikina, one of the areas greatly affected by the floods of typhoon Ondoy.
The need for medicines
YFC-A President Marco Ordoñez said that the organization discussed the needs of the Malanday, Marikina after the calamity. They realized that the community greatly required medicine.
With that, Oplan Malanday was launched. YFC-A asked help from its members to donate medicine or money, as well as to volunteer on the day of the medical mission.
Marc Paredes, Logistics Head of Oplan Malanday, said that volunteering in the medical mission was the only way he knew how to help, given that Malanday has been YFC-A’s area for years now.
“Through the medical mission, hindi mo lang nache-check up yung condition nila, nakakamusta mo rin sila (You weren’t only able to check up on their condition, but you were also able to ask how they were doing),” he said. “It was a sigh of relief that they were safe.”
Ordoñez also said that volunteering for the medical mission was tiring but rewarding nonetheless. “It was nice to know that we were able to give something even if it wasn’t that much.”
YFC-A also asked help from the Pre-Medical Society of the Ateneo (PMSA) to gather medicine and enlist the help of doctors for the medical mission.
Doctors and nurses went and checked the vital statistics of the people in the area while volunteers distributed medicine to the residents.
A blessing
YFC-A moderator Kristina Aguilar said that they never thought that Oplan Malanday would pull through at the last minute.
“[Three days] prior to the event, we still [didn’t] have doctors, we only had one. Wala pa kaming nabibiling medicine for everyone (We still haven’t bought medicine for everyone),” she said.
Ordoñez said that they weren’t able to coordinate with PMSA in gathering doctors and medicines at that time. “PMSA told us that it usually takes two months to plan a medical mission, and we’re doing it in two weeks … less than two weeks.”
Ordoñez considered it a blessing that Oplan Malanday managed to pull through in the end.
Giving back
Ordoñez said that he was surprised after finding out about the UNDP recognition.
“There were a lot of medical missions with other orgs as well. So many medical missions were happening, and [Oplan Malanday] is part of one bigger effort, so it’s really unexpected that we’d be getting recognition,” he said.
Aguilar, meanwhile, said that although it was amazing that YFC-A received recognition, Oplan Malanday was just a way of giving to the community God’s love.
“We’re doing it because we are called to do it, and it’s a way of giving God’s love to them without asking for anything in return,” she said.
A better life for all
The UNDP is the United Nation’s (UN) development organization, advocating for change and helping people in different nations build a better life. Oplan Malanday was part of UNDP’s annual activity called Stand United and Take Action, held on October 16 to 18.
Stand United and Take Action is part of the effort to achieve the UN’s eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. Some of these MDGs include eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, and reducing mortality.
