November 24, 2021 — The Philippine General Hospital Silahis ng Kalusugan School for the Chronically Ill (SNK) received a P100,000 pledge from a group of alumni from the College of the Holy Spirit Manila. This donation will assist children living with chronic conditions, allowing them to continue prioritizing their health while also completing their education.

“We wanted to give back to the community in celebration of our 50th jubilee. We want this to be just the start of a beautiful friendship and we intend to continue this collaboration. Sa mga magulang at estudyante, huwag kayong mawawalan ng pag-asa. Kailangan lang laging lumingon sa Panginoon at mag-dasal,” said Ma. Theresa Ableda-Llave who represented the batch.

Under their legacy project, “Agapay sa Kalusugan at Pag-aaral,” the Class of ‘73 has chosen to support the SNK given the latter’s laudable program for the health and education of the youth.

Linking the SNK and the donors together is UP Manila Chancellor Carmencita Padilla. “Nagpapasalamat kami sa PGH at hindi nito binitawan ang SNK. Sa ating donors, ang Class 1973 na mga kaklase ko noong high school, thank you for considering PGH as a beneficiary and for starting this fundraising.”

More than 50 years ago, the late National Scientist, UP Manila Chancellor and pediatrician Dr. Perla Santos Ocampo initiated the SNK as a small program of the Department of Pediatrics. Since then, it has been providing the educational needs of children and adolescents who are recurrently admitted to the PGH wards because of chronic illnesses such as cancer, renal diseases, cardiac diseases, and congenital conditions.
 
With SNK, these children have the means to catch up with their healthy counterparts in terms of primary and secondary education. SNK provides support to these children and their families allowing them to keep their dreams of a brighter future alive.

During the event, PGH Director Gerardo Legaspi thanked the donors and made a personal pledge of P50,000 to the SNK. “Every time I go to PGH and the school is open, I see the determination of the family to send their children to school. These children have fought all their lives against the disease and now they are fighting to pursue education through this program. They are really inspiring. This is a very laudable project that no director will have the heart to stop,” he said.

With the Child Health in Life and Development Foundation (C.H.I.L.D.) as partner, the success of the SNK is the outcome of the hard work and dedication of the SNK faculty and the donations that support the continuous learning of the students.

For donation and fundraising inquiries, please contact CHILD Foundation through Ms. Rashene Lim at 09178044453.

ANNE MARIE ALTO

Published in the UP Manila Healthscape Special COVID-19 Issue No. 34 (December 2021)