Ateneo students facilitate "Hospital-in-a-Bike" donation to Barangay Bagong Silangan

On March 23 (Saturday), 2024, Barangay Bagong Silangan, Quezon City, witnessed the remarkable deployment of a "hospital-in-a-bike" initiative, a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation in community healthcare. This initiative was made possible through the generous bike donation by the Makati Medical Center Foundation, led by Dr. Victor L. Gisbert. The project was brought to fruition by the diligent efforts of Team Sandigan ng Silangan, a dedicated group of Ateneo de Manila University AB Development Studies students—Paolo Joaquin Barro, Nica Meriel Gabito, Monica Isabel Jose, Pio Francisco Ramirez, Mary Anjannette Santos, Erri Mikaela Tan, and Neema Gabrielle Villarin—guided by their DEV 107: Project Management course professor, Dr. Mark Anthony D. Abenir.

The handover event was marked by the participation of distinguished representatives from the Educational Research and Development Assistance (ERDA) Foundation, Inc., the Makati Medical Center Foundation, and the local barangay leadership. Among those in attendance were Ms. Dolora Cardeño, Executive Director of ERDA; Ms. Edlyn Burgonio, Communications and Social Marketing Manager at ERDA; Mrs. Ofemia Alejandro Andres, ERDA Program Officer; Dr. Richard Young Chan and Mr. Andrew Castillo of the Makati Medical Center Foundation; and Barangay Chairperson Wilfredo "Willy" L. Cara.

A central feature of the event was a vital skills workshop conducted by Dr. Richard Young Chan, fondly called Doc YC, which provided ERDA Parent Beneficiaries with essential training on automated external defibrillators and “hands-only” cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Alongside him was Mr. Andrew Castillo, a program officer at the Makati Medical Center Foundation. This workshop is the second of the four critical components of Project SigLakas: Empowering Barangay Bagong Silangan Parents for Health Resilience and Advocacy. Orchestrated under the Development Studies students’ DEV 107 class, Project SigLakas aims to strengthen community health knowledge and emergency preparedness, ensuring a sustainable health impact on Barangay Bagong Silangan. Through fostering informed decision-making and building a self-sufficient community, it is believed that the project can make a lasting impact on the health outcomes of Brgy. Bagong Silangan.

Participants were also gifted health and hygiene kits, a contribution from the TV5 Alagang Kapatid Foundation, underscoring the collective commitment to enhancing health and safety standards in the community.

Initiated on March 2, 2024, the project's workshop series is strategically designed according to the socio-ecological model of health, progressing from individual empowerment to broad community engagement. The upcoming sessions, set for April 6 and April 13, will further delve into organizational communication strategies and developing a community health advocacy plan, respectively.

The second component of the project has been supported by key sponsors, including the Makati Medical Center Foundation, TV5 Alagang Kapatid Foundation, Ronald McDonald House Charities and McDonald’s, Back to Basics Ecostore, and Eric and Anna Rice Dealer, whose contributions have been crucial to the project's execution.

Photos courtesy of Arthur Eustaquio.