“By choosing Barangay Canmanico as one of your mission sites, you brought more than just healthcare services to our community—you brought hope, compassion, love, and care to our people.”.
~
Returning to Valencia:
Building on our Sustainable Partnership
Four meaningful days. Two barangays. Nearly 1,000 patients served. Countless stories. And a community partnership built around one shared purpose: to care and to serve.
International Medical Relief returned to Valencia, Bohol, Philippines, in September 2026 for its second Medical and Dental Mission in the municipality that year.
From September 7–8 in Barangay Marawis to September 9–10 in Barangay Canmanico, IMR volunteers worked side by side with Filipino physicians, dentists, nurses, health practitioners, interpreters, barangay leaders, community volunteers, Birada Valencia, and local healthcare partners to bring medical care, dental services, ultrasound, health education, lifesaving training, and essential resources closer to families throughout Valencia.
Across the four-day mission, nearly 1,000 patients received care.
But the story of these four days cannot be told through a patient count alone.
It must also be told through the people who made the mission possible.
The local leaders who opened their communities.
The Filipino doctors and dentists who cared for their neighbors.
The nurses, interpreters, and community volunteers who made each patient encounter possible.
The 15 local participants who completed lifesaving Basic Life Support training.
The thousands of essential donations distributed.
The medical and dental supplies left behind to continue serving patients.
The patients who trusted the team.
And the warmth of the people of Valencia, whose welcome left an unmistakable impression on the IMR volunteers who had traveled so far to serve them.
Different people bring different skills. But they share one purpose.
International Medical Relief’s September mission marked a return to the Philippines following IMR’s Medical and Dental Mission from March 2026.
Filipino health professionals, community leaders, Birada Valencia, and local residents. IMR values our local relationships to build on the foundation on each return.
That return matters.
At International Medical Relief, sustainable global health is not simply about arriving in a community, opening a clinic, providing several days of care, and leaving.
- It is about relationships.
- It is about listening to the people who understand their communities best.
- It is about international and local professionals working beside one another.
- It is about strengthening existing healthcare systems rather than attempting to replace them.
- It is about sharing knowledge, skills, supplies, and resources.
- And whenever possible, it is about returning.
- Local leaders understand the communities they serve.
- Local physicians and dentists understand the healthcare environment.
- Community volunteers understand the people, language, transportation challenges, customs, and barriers to care.
IMR brings clinical expertise, experienced volunteers, medicines, supplies, diagnostic equipment, health education, and years of experience operating mobile medical clinics around the world.
When those strengths come together, something powerful happens.
Four Days of Comprehensive Care in Valencia
Across four clinic days in Barangay Marawis and Barangay Canmanico, IMR volunteers worked alongside Filipino healthcare professionals and community partners to bring comprehensive services directly to families in Valencia.
Patients received medical and dental care, diagnostic services, ultrasound, medications, health education, and other essential services based on individual and community needs.
But the mission extended beyond the patients seen in clinic. IMR teams also shared medical and dental supplies, essential donations, training, and resources designed to continue supporting the community after the international team departed.
Nearly 1,000 patients received care during the four-day mission—but every patient represented an individual story, a family, and a community relationship.
Beyond the Numbers: Partnership Matters
The impact of an international medical mission cannot be measured by patient numbers alone.
In Valencia, the strength of the mission came from people working together—Filipino physicians and dentists caring for their neighbors, barangay leaders helping identify community needs, interpreters connecting patients and providers, volunteers supporting clinic operations, and IMR team members bringing their skills and resources alongside them.
This is the model IMR believes in: not working for a community, but working with a community.
Each return to Valencia strengthens those relationships and creates another opportunity to listen, learn, share resources, and build upon the work already underway.
Sustainable global health begins with partnership—and grows through the commitment to return.
A Partnership Built to Last
International Medical Relief’s work in Valencia is built on collaboration with the people who know their communities best.
Throughout the mission, IMR volunteers worked alongside local healthcare professionals, barangay leaders, community partners, and volunteers to help ensure that services reflected the needs of the families being served.
That partnership extends beyond the clinic itself. By returning to Valencia, sharing resources, providing training, and working alongside local providers, IMR can build upon previous missions rather than beginning again with each deployment.
For IMR, sustainability means listening first, strengthening local capacity, and creating relationships that continue long after the final patient leaves the clinic.
The most meaningful measure of our work is not simply how many patients we serve, but what remains after we leave.
Sharing Knowledge That Stays Behind
One of the most important parts of the Valencia mission was education.
In addition to providing direct patient care, IMR supported Basic Life Support (BLS) training, helping participants strengthen lifesaving skills that can continue benefiting patients and communities long after the mission ends.
This combination of care today and capacity for tomorrow is central to IMR’s approach to sustainable global health.
Every Patient Has a Story
Nearly 1,000 patients were served during IMR’s four days in Valencia, but the impact of the mission is found in more than a number.
It is found in the parent seeking care for a child. The patient receiving dental treatment after living with pain. The family learning practical ways to protect their health. The community member receiving diagnostic services or medications that may otherwise have been difficult to access.
Throughout the clinics in Barangay Marawis and Barangay Canmanico, IMR volunteers had the privilege of meeting patients where they were—listening to their concerns, providing care, sharing health education, and connecting person to person.
For our volunteers, these encounters are an important reminder that global health begins with something very simple:
Listen. Care. Serve.
Then I would add a short section immediately after it:
More Than a Medical Mission
An IMR mission brings together people from different countries, professions, and backgrounds around a shared purpose.
Physicians, nurses, dentists, students, and other volunteers serve alongside local healthcare professionals and community partners—not only sharing clinical skills, but learning from one another.
Those relationships are part of what brings IMR back.
We return because communities remember. Partnerships grow. Trust deepens. And there is always more work we can do together.
Frequently Asked Questions
International Medical Relief returned to Valencia, Bohol, Philippines, September 7–10, 2026, providing care in Barangay Marawis and Barangay Canmanico. IMR volunteers worked alongside local healthcare professionals, community leaders, and partners to bring healthcare services directly to families in these communities.
During four days of clinics in Valencia, International Medical Relief provided care to nearly 1,000 patients. Each clinic was designed to address individual patient needs while also supporting broader community health through education, prevention, and local partnership.
IMR provided a range of healthcare services during the Valencia mission, including medical care, dental services, ultrasound, acupuncture, medications, diagnostic services, and community health education. BSL Training was a very important component of the mission as well. Services were provided by a multidisciplinary team working alongside Filipino healthcare professionals and community partners.
Yes. Dental care was an important part of IMR’s work in Valencia. Dental professionals provided evaluation and treatment for patients while helping address oral-health needs that can significantly affect a person’s overall health and quality of life.
IMR believes sustainable global health begins with partnership, education, and a commitment to return. In Valencia, IMR worked alongside local healthcare professionals and community leaders, provided health education, shared resources, and supported Basic Life Support (BLS) training.
By combining direct patient care with education and skills development, IMR works to create an impact that continues after the international medical team returns home.
Yes. International Medical Relief welcomes qualified healthcare professionals to serve on international medical mission teams, including physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dentists, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals, depending on the needs of each mission.
Volunteers work as part of a multidisciplinary team and alongside local healthcare professionals to provide care in underserved communities.
Yes. Students may participate in appropriate roles on IMR medical missions, gaining exposure to global health while serving under the direction of experienced professionals.
Student participation is structured around the individual’s education, experience, and permitted scope of involvement. Students can also contribute through community health education, clinic operations, patient flow, and other mission activities.
Start by exploring International Medical Relief’s upcoming medical mission opportunities and selecting a destination and date that works for you.
IMR offers international medical missions in communities around the world for healthcare professionals, students, and other volunteers who want to serve.
You don’t have to wait for the perfect time to make a difference. Find the mission that speaks to you and join us in the field.
FIND A MISSION>> https://internationalmedicalrelief.org/missions
