PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE: Cherry Mobile Charity Medical Fund

Some of the health units in our country have the most diligent workers but lack the funds, the facilities, and equipment to serve their communities at their best. To meet this need, Cherry Mobile has set up a medical fund to benefit these institutions that have the potential for impact but are restricted by material funds.

Cherry Mobile set up its Charity Medical Fund, which refers to resources allotted to help public health units sustain their operational needs in order to serve the Filipino people better. This is one way of empowering the health units in the local scene so that in return, they could empower the residents in their respective communities, or in the case of medical institutions, to make health services available to charity patients.  

Based primarily on the needs of the identified health unit, the Charity Medical Fund is utilized to purchase medical equipment as needed by the chosen institution. Donations may range from oxygen tanks to wheel chairs to hospital beds, among others.

Cherry Mobile donated oxygen tanks and oxygen gauges or regulators to the Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City. These items were provided for the use of charity patients of the hospital.

Last year, Cherry Mobile donated Fuji Salter-type baby weighing scales to barangay health centers in Del Carmen, Surigao Del Norte. The CSR team worked with the municipal mayor of Del Carmen, Mayor Alfredo Coro II, for this project which is part of a bigger campaign of the local government unit on preventive health management.

CSR manager Leah Lopez endorses the baby weighing scales to Del Carmen mayor Alfredo Coro II.

The municipality has no hospital in its vicinity, and so to prevent the residents from getting sick and spending too much in hospitalization, the municipal health unit reinforces its life quality improvement program. They sought support from Cherry Mobile to purchase equipment for monitoring the weight of children in the community and combat malnutrition. They have also launched their feeding program. Cherry Mobile believes that this is an investment in the health of communities in Del Carmen, considering that this equipment will be used on a long term basis in the health centers.

Mayor Alfred endorses the baby weighing scales to twenty barangay captains in Del Carmen.

The baby weighing scales are entrusted to safekeeping by community health workers for use by residents in Del Carmen.

Health is wealth, as they commonly say. This is one reason that Cherry Mobile continues to support the health sector of our country, believing that as we invest in the health of the communities, we empower them and make them ready to grab opportunities for growth. We support public medical institutions by providing them lacking equipment necessary to cure patients that have acquired diseases. Our objective is in line with the goal of Mayor Coro of Del Carmen; we desire to augment the needs of those who live along the poverty line. We desire to provide accessible health care to the poorest of the poor. We value the overall health of the community because only in unity can a community adjust, grow, and eventually change.

Cherry Mobile continues to expand the reach of this program to areas where community health is least supported by the national government. Again, the principle is to help change the nation one community at a time, and for Cherry Mobile, distance is no problem as long as help is given directly to those who really need it.

Written by: Keren Grace B. Tandico

2013 Christmas Gift Giving

This Christmas season, Cherry Mobile CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) team crossed seas and skies, and travelled thousands of miles on rough roads and hilly places just to bring the message of hope and compassion for the survivors of the fatal earthquake and typhoon Yolanda.

It was extremely low tide but CSR team crossed the sea and bring these Christmas presents to hundreds of families living in Lakawon Island, Cadiz, Negros.

The best people to reach out this Christmas are those who think they have no reason to celebrate. In the midst of loss, hopelessness, and despair, Cherry Mobile CSR team went back to Visayas Region and took the initiative to ignite a spark of hope among the families affected by the fatal earthquake last October and typhoon Yolanda in November.  

She is not forgotten this Christmas because Cherry Mobile CARES…

Father and child in Bantayan Island, Cebu, patiently waited for their family name to be called up to receive bags of noche buena goods.

On the second week of December, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) team of Cherry Mobile set out to 12 communities in the Visayas area bringing noche buena packs and a lot of game prizes to help the affected families recover from stress trauma.

Four teams simultaneously visited more than 12 communities in Iloilo, Bohol, Cebu, Negros, and Capiz to hold a simple Christmas party for the affected families in the poorest of the poor sector.  CSR volunteers (certified social workers, teachers, business owners, students, government & private employees) conducted stress debriefing thru games for the young and the elderly.

Participants in the community with the oldest Cherry Mobile units received prizes. Kids, moms, and grannies laughed their hearts out as they enjoyed the games prepared by the volunteer organizers. In some areas, the local people even performed a dance number during the program. After a short inspirational talk from Cherry Mobile representatives about the true meaning of Christmas, the whole crowd sang a Christmas song together, rekindling the spirit of compassion, sharing, and giving which is the essential value of the season.

Afterwards, the volunteer organizers drew a raffle for the mobile phones, backpacks, and aluminium water bottles. The crowd cheered with excitement as they wished for their numbers to be called.

The winners of the raffles joyfully received the new mobile units with which they could replace their old phones soaked in water by typhoon Yolanda.

After the short program which was held in more than 12 communities, each family received a generous pack of noche buena goods. Around 2,700 families were made glad by Cherry Mobile with these food gifts.

The essence of Christmas is the realization that there is always a reason to celebrate the season despite all the storms that passed in 2013. Christmas is the best season to be selfless and share more because of the message of love that defines the Reason for the season. Because we freely received love and provision from above, we can share it to those who need comfort and compassion. This is how Cherry Mobile cares unceasingly—by letting the compassion flow through a multitude of hearts until it creates ripples that will eventually cover the entire nation.

This season we are celebrating big and not forgetting what we are celebrating for. This Christmas, Cherry Mobile makes the best preparation efforts, invests the biggest resource budget, and brings out the widest smiles to make a memorable Christmas experience for a lot of people in places where devastation left tremendous loss and shattered hope.

Whatever storms you have gone through this year 2013, you have a Hope to cling on to. With this Hope in mind, you can celebrate the birth of the Saviour. From the Cherry Mobile CSR team, have a merry, blessed Christmas!

Written by Keren Grace Tandico