PROJECT DAVAO 2025 TRIP: 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

From 30th June to 10th July, Project Davao embarked on a fun-filled 10-day trip to Davao, where we worked in various capacities to serve the local communities of Langub and Gumalang in Davao City, Philippines.

Health Screening and Door-to-Door Visits

A major milestone this year was our inaugural collaboration with Davao Medical School Foundation Inc. (DMSF) to participate in their Mobile Clinic Medical Mission, where over 100 students and faculty conducted a large-scale community health screening for over 300 villagers. Working independently in student-led teams, we conducted history-taking, physical examinations, and procedures such as ECGs for the villagers to arrive at a plausible diagnosis and create a treatment plan for each patient’s presenting complaint. Once verified by a doctor, we prescribed our plan to the patient. This opportunity expanded our rural reach and enriched our understanding of local healthcare through interactions with experienced final-year DMSF students and clinicians who take part in the medical mission.

In Gumalang, we conducted an independent health screening for over 70 villagers, screening for unmanaged chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes using instruments like a blood pressure monitor, blood capillary glucose and urine dipstick analysis. We educated them on how to lead a healthier lifestyle to prevent the worsening of their conditions. Professor Eric, our founding project mentor, was also there to provide a thorough consultation and explanation of their health results, allowing the villagers to improve their health.

Not stopping there, we embarked on door-to-door visits in the villages to target the issue of villagers lacking motivation to travel. Reaching over 20 households, we managed to provide a brief screening for unmanaged hypertension before providing targeted health education relating to their existing medical conditions to help them manage them. We also educated villagers on the management of infectious diseases like dengue, as well as proper antibiotic use. To end the visit, we passed them a goodie bag with healthier snack alternatives and supplements.

Science Education

At Langub National High School, we conducted science lessons for over 200 students aged 13-18. We designed interactive lesson plans on forces and the human digestive system, each complete with its own hands-on experiments for students to learn these biology and physics concepts before applying them. The local students had lots of fun interacting with us and playing along. Look at their smiles as they test their parachute systems for the egg-drop experiment, utilising what they just learned about air resistance.

We also engaged students at Sowing the Master's Seed Ministry (SMSM) - one of our key local partners that brings us into the local community. We taught the students the basics of the concept of artificial intelligence (AI) as well as its applications, and also focused on the dangers of over-reliance on AI.

House of Hope

Working with Southern Philippines Medical Centre (SPMC), the Philippines' largest public hospital, we interacted with over 20 children undergoing chemotherapy at House of Hope through arts and craft activities like canvas painting and origami, sporting activities and more, bringing a smile to their faces.

This year, we also painted a mural of a “Tree of Hope” and invited children to leave their handprints on the tree as leaves, symbolising a collective hopeful spirit that they are never alone in this battle against cancer. We are grateful for the tremendous support from SPMC and Dr Mae Dolendo, head of the Children's Cancer Institute at SPMC, that allows us to do what we do!

Work Hard, Play Hard

After 7 days of work, we enjoyed activities such as white-water rafting, karaoke, hiking and even stayed in a mountainside cabin within the clouds!

See what the people of Davao have to say :)

Check out more on IG: @lkc.projectdavao

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