Written By Ronalyn De Lima Briones, Graphic Artist / Photographer, Operation Blessing Philippines

DSC_0256-3She is Dolores Herradura, 39 years old and a mother to six children. They live in Salapungan, Angeles City Pampanga. During the medical mission, she stood out among the others because her four children were with her and she had an impaired eye.

Dolores told the story behind her eye. She was 8 years old when she suffered from measles. At that time, there was no free vaccine for it, and because of poverty, they could not afford her hospitalization. She had no choice but to accept that she would go blind. She grew up in a poor family and was unable to finish her studies.

Now, she has her own family. Dolores and her husband decided to sell street food as their source of income. They don’t have a permanent shelter or even electricity, but still the Lord is good because they have different crops and trees in their small backyard like lady finger, sweet potato, bitter melon, winged yam, banana and horseradish.

“Marami kaming tanim, nakakatulong sa pang araw-araw na pagkain, at kapag maraming bunga ang puno ng saging namin, binibigyan ko ang mga kapitbahay ko (We have plenty of crops, it helps provide our daily food, and when our banana trees bear more fruit, I share them with our neighbors),” she delightedly said.

Five of her children are in school, and her oldest child is a scholar at Angeles University, which helps lessen their school expenses. She brought her four children to the medical mission for a checkup. The second oldest found out that both of his ears had an infection, and the other three had cough and colds, even the five month old baby because they were exposed to heat and poor sanitation.

Due to lack of money to afford medicines and to go to the hospital, it was good news for her when KMBI announced that they will conduct a medical mission in their place in partnership with Operation Blessing (OB). She was very thankful because they received free check-ups, medicines, vitamins, and baby products such as diapers, feeding bottles, milk powder containers, nipples, and baby bottle cleaners.

Dolores and her children were very grateful even for the smallest thing that they received from the medical mission. You can see in their eyes that they were content and thankful for the blessings that came from different organizations who have the heart to help the needy. Truly, God is never blind to all the sorrows, pains and adversities that we experience. He will always make a way to reach us and provide what we need.

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KMBI now partners with OB in its healthcare program as well as its livelihood program in order to provide both basic health services and sustainable living. Should you wish to do the same, visit obphil.com/home/healthcare to find out how, or call us at 477 7802 to 04 and 06. Together, let us inspire change, one community at a time.