For the three months that I volunteered for Doctors for Life, I spent my time with LifeChild, specifically, the centers in Mthaleni and Malelane but once in a while we would also make the two hour drive to visit surrounding centers like Wasbank, Elandskraal, Esifuleni, or LimeHill. It was so much fun to be surrounded by so many children. It was so easy to turn on the light switch in one's mind in order to feel like a kid everyday! However, I know that a big part of me felt more like a parent especially when a little one would run up to me with tears streaming down her face because she had fallen and scraped her elbow; or when a young boy steps on a thorn and bravely asks to have it extracted from his foot--I cringed, like a parent who is reluctant at inflicting more harm to her already ailing child, but of course you have no choice but to remove the thorn because you know it will cause further damage. I spent the first 9 years of my life in the Philippines, which I thought was already an Asian version of “the bush” but nothing compared to what was in store for me in South Africa. Our daily activities alone included gathering basic necessities. There was the 30 minute drive on rocky terrain in order to fetch water, the 2 hour drive on dirt roads to fetch wood for fire, and the hour drive into "town" to buy food, and other miscellaneous items. At other times, there was also the weekend drive to the clinic to have an ear, eye, and nose infection checked. When we weren't running "errands", we would spend some time teaching at the children's school or driving them to town for little things, one of them being ice cream--which they were always so grateful for. When I was 16 years old I had the desire to see this part of the world. The desire to return is much stronger now because nothing beats the beautiful African sunrise and sunset, listening to the songs they sang in their native tongues, the animals roaming around in huge game parks, the fresh air, the newly established friendships, feeling welcome as if I was a part of their family, but most importantly, because when I close my eyes at night I still see the face of each woman, man, and child who has left lasting impressions in my heart. I am eternally grateful to them for extending their heart to mine. I went to South Africa not really expecting anything. All I knew was that I was going to learn—about the country and its story, the people and their culture, about myself, but most importantly, about the love of God for me, for them…for us. Kristhessa Pascua.
'Doctors for Life International' represents more than 1400 medical doctors and specialists, three-quarters of who practice in South Africa. Since 1991 DFL has been actively promoting health care that is safe and efficient for all South Africans. DFL was founded as a South African organization in 1991 and has spread across the globe. DFL is involved in several community projects including orphan care, the care of terminal AIDS patients, malaria prevention and the care of abused women. |