Your generous donation helps to save and change lives every day.
Your charitable investment will go toward ongoing global relief to care for the underserved and vulnerable people of this community. As a member of this medical mission team, you will elevate the long-term impact of sustainable, capacity-building efforts that improve the health, wellness, and quality of life of those most in need.
Overview
The Need
The Philippines are made up of 7,107 islands and has an extremely diverse population. Many of these islands are home to remote villages and the Philippine healthcare system struggles to successfully deliver healthcare to many of these communities. Overall, the healthcare system in the Philippines is of high standard; however, services and quality varies widely between rural and urban areas. There is also a critical need for economical and dependable medical equipment, and gaps between the quality and quantity of health services exist between the poor and the rich. The Philippine healthcare system is decentralized, which leaves the local level to be primarily responsible for the delivery of healthcare services and public health initiatives. This can make it harder for the most vulnerable populations and the most rural to have reliable access to health education and health services.
In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan became one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. When Haiyan made landfall, it devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly in the Philippines. Haiyan is known as one of the deadliest Philippine typhoons on record. Reports estimate that it killed at least 6,300 people in the Philippines alone. The Philippines started to face a humanitarian crisis as millions of people became displaced in the aftermath of Haiyan with the destruction of homes and important infrastructure. This makes the population of the Philippines more vulnerable and susceptible to diseases due to the lack of food, clean water, shelter, and medication.
Please join IMR as we return for another trip to the Philippines, continuing to provide and assist new villages that need medical care and health education. Thanks to the special invitation that we received from the Philippine government, this trip will take us to remote island communities that have an especially difficult time accessing healthcare.
Our Work
International Medical Relief began working with the Philippine community in 2014 providing emergency disaster relief right after the devastating typhoon hit. Since 2014, we have been able to strengthen our relationship with the Philippines and continue to provide medical relief efforts. We have served nearly 10,000 patients through nearly 300 volunteers and staff. During our medical relief trips, we provide community health training, medical treatments, clinic operations, and clinic supplies. Our teams will continue to serve villages in the most rural areas of the Philippines and provide education and care where it is needed the most.
With diligent planning and preparation, IMR is dedicated to ensuring that specific goals are met on our missions, each in correlation to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 17.
IMR works to elevate vulnerable populations through shoulder-to-shoulder care with our local partners, creating workforce density, and a cadre of future healthcare and public health leaders in association to UNSDG 3: Good Health & Wellbeing.
In correlation with UNSDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, our organization works in collaboration and at the request of local hosts where we are under their direct influence and affluence. IMR never goes into a country without a formal invitation where there is a great community need for medical or dental care, and health education.
This Mission
International Medical Relief is excited to venture to Palompon on one of the most beautiful islands in the chain of 7,107 islands that make up the Philippines. IMR has visited dozens of locations during more than 13 trips over the last six years, and we continue to reach villages and people that are in great need of medical care and health education. With special invitations from our in-country hosts and partners, IMR is committed to reaching more and more patients in need as we support the Philippines.
Lodging/Transportation
You will arrive on Cebu, then the team will transfer to a commercial ferry to travel to Palompon. When you arrive, you will be welcomed by the Mayor and the town with open arms. Join the community in morning yoga or zumba on the square – they will happily make room for you! Get some ice cream on the dock! Look at the ocean as you breakfast or dine in the evening in your private dining area on the rooftop with food cooked especially for you! The water is hot in the showers, the beds are comfortable, and your roommates are top notch. You and your team will be very comfortable after clinic and will love every moment of your stay here.
Transportation will be varied on this trip – there may be planes, boats, and fun trucks in your future in the Philippines. A ferry will take you from the island of Cebu to Palompon. Trucks designed for transport will carry you safely to each barangay (remote village) and home again. Motorboats will take you out to see those whales! And finally, your feet: there may be some light hiking if you like to make house calls! Each barangay will have some homebound patients for you to see. This is one of the best parts of an IMR trip, so don’t miss the opportunity.
Highlights
You will work in carefully chosen and remote barangays on this trip. People here rarely get comprehensive care although the nurses of the public health service make a heroic effort to care for the villages. You will have the opportunity to work alongside these wonderful public health nurses and with one of the top-rated rescue squads in the Philippines. Your ground host is one of the top physicians in the Philippines with extensive disaster experience. Working side by side with these remarkable healthcare providers is certainly one of the many highlights of this trip.
Extend Your Stay
The Philippines is an amazing place to extend your stay! While most visitors to Asia go to Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, the Philippines offers something for every traveler, from hiking to surfing, malls to handicrafts, volcanoes to blue lagoons. An added bonus is that almost everyone speaks English, and the people are known to be some of the friendliest in the world. The Philippines has beautiful beaches, wonderful food, and some of the best surfing in the world. Allow IMR to help you plan a new adventure after your amazing adventure caring for villagers on Leyte through our partner, Worldwide Navigators!
- Discover Puerto Princesa, a coastal city on Palawan Island
- Venture to the Subterranean River National Park, a protected area of the Philippines
- Explore Honda Bay’s multiple stunning islands with white sand beaches
Click here to view the itinerary!
Ready for the adventure? Connect with Worldwide Navigators today!
Itinerary at a Glance
Arrivals & Transfer
Orientation & Clinic
Clinic
Clinic
Transfer to Sapang Uwak
Clinic & Jungle Survival Training
Departures
Please View Full Itinerary in the Next Tab
Sustainable Impact
Your Journey
Clinic Photos
Gallery
Full Itinerary
This itinerary is subject to change without notice.
You will need to arrange your flight destination to be Mactan-Cebu International Airport. If you need assistance booking flights, please contact Worldwide Navigators, our preferred travel agency, at travel@worldwidenavigators.com. You may also choose to arrange transportation from the airport to your accommodation, which you may purchase from within your portal under Trip Add-Ons.
Arrivals & Transfer
Team members will arrive in Cebu, Philippines throughout the day. You will enjoy dinner with your team and team leader, then the ferry, which will be your sleeping quarters for the night, departs for Palompon at 9pm.
Meals: Dinner,
Orientation & Clinic
You will arrive in Palompon at 5am. After breakfast and team orientation with your team leader, you will attend a community medicine orientation with Dr. Ong, followed by community training.
You and your team will provide training for local healthcare providers to continue IMR’s long-term, sustainable education efforts. Education is as important as medical and dental care for our patients. Each clinic includes basic health education according to the specialties and skills of the IMR volunteers, as well as the needs of the local people. When communities become empowered to take health and wellness issues into their own hands, they become self-sufficient. IMR provides learning opportunities for the local communities through classes and hands-on learning to sustain their well-being beyond our visit.
Following training, you will enjoy a team dinner with your food prepared for the team al fresco in the rooftop restaurant. After dinner is the debriefing of the day before you retire to your quarters in the comfortable, dormitory-style Tourism Building in Palompon.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner,
Clinic
You will find many children, their parents, and elderly patients waiting eagerly for you in the barangays (remote villages) that you will visit. You may also have opportunities to go on house calls in the remote areas to visit patients who are unable to make it to clinic.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner,
Clinic
You will likely see patients with pneumonia, ear infections, wounds, animal bites, and non-communicable diseases. During your clinic days, you will have the opportunity to work side by side with local doctors, nurses, and EMS personnel who are anxious to learn from you, as well as share their knowledge about medical care in the Philippines.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner,
Transfer to Sapang Uwak
You will travel to Angeles by plane or ferry, then transfer to Sapang Uwak for our final day of clinic. That evening you will be camping in the village in tents provided by IMR or sleeping in government housing. Please bring a sleeping bag and mosquito net.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner,
Clinic & Jungle Survival Training
After the day’s clinic, you will get some hands-on instruction on what to do to survive in the jungle from members of the indigenous Aeta tribe of Sapan Uwak. After your training, you will return to Cebu for the night.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner,
Departures
Enjoy a final breakfast with your fellow team members before bidding farewell to the beautiful Philippines! If you think you might want to extend your stay (especially after receiving your jungle survival training), contact Worldwide Navigators for information on extensions and flight arrangements.
Meals: Breakfast,
Your Journey
Clinic Photos
Extensions
Minimum Donation
Your generous donation of $3500 will go toward the ongoing global relief to care for the underserved and vulnerable people of this community. As a member of this medical mission team, you will elevate the long-term impact of sustainable, capacity-building efforts that improve the health, wellness, and quality of life of those most in need. A small portion of your donation includes:
- Clinic supplies and medications for patients
- Clinic participation
- Transportation, accommodations, and meals as outlined in the itinerary
Donation Payment Deadlines
$3300 due by December 25, 2023
$3500 due by February 25, 2024
Early Bird Savings Opportunity
To be eligible, the participant must upload ALL your required documents and forms, sign their liability form and make your 50% donation including your $35 application fee by December 25, 2023. This savings opportunity does not apply to disaster relief missions.
Featured Enhancements
**To purchase any of the above Featured Enhancements for your mission, please contact our office at office@imrus.org or call at (970) 635-0110.
Your Donation to IMR for Your Mission Cost Includes:
All group costs from the time you arrive at the team meeting point in country until you separate from the team or when the team arrives at the departure airport, including:
- Transportation
- Lodging
- Costs associated with the clinic
- Food
- Tips for services provided to the IMR team
- All logistics, including translation services and security as needed
Additional Costs That You Are Responsible For:
All group costs from the time you arrive at the team meeting point in country until you separate from the team or when the team arrives at the departure airport, including:
- International and Domestic flights to the country.
- Passport fees, visa fees, and transit fees, including baggage or overnight accommodations/meals while in transit
- Required or recommended insurance
- Vaccinations and medications common for travel
- Spending money for souvenirs and personal purchases
- Required or desired mission supplies, personal equipment, or small gifts for the special people you meet
- Any lodging, meals, and transportation outside of the scheduled team mission, payable at the time of service to the local vendor
- COVID-related fees such as testing, vaccinations, and quarantines as required by in-country arrival/departure or USA arrival/departure
- Each team member is responsible for carrying medical supplies for the deployment. All fees associated with transport are the responsibility of the volunteer.
Financial FAQs
Prepare to Go
A Walk Through Clinic
Download the Team Guide
