“Nay, magpaila-ila ra mi” is the phrase we repeatedly used during the house-to-house visit to let the people know that we, as medical students of Ateneo de Zamboanga University, are here to collaborate with the community in building solutions catering to their specific health needs. From that, we gradually started establishing rapport to the residents in Barangay Lumbayao.
Doing the house-to-house visit, as well as building trust and connections with the people of Barangay Lumbayao, was not easy. The fatigue and the struggle of speaking Visayan language were there. Other than that, we had to do long walks under the heat of the sun, stride through muddy paths and hike uphill just to reach some of the houses. However, these factors did not stop us from informing everyone about our mission in the community. The urge to lend a hand to the public pushed us harder to accomplish the job.