In the midst of many alarming news of violent conflicts in Mindanao and trainings to contain violent extremism conducted by international, national and local organizations, the Silsilah Dialogue Movement has organized a special training for fifteen volunteers, some from Zamboanga and some from Ipil, all of them staff and friends of Silsilah. It was a special training offered by two (2) Italian Doctors, who came in August 2016 to train six Silsilah staff, and now the same group and others have been trained by the same Doctors who came again on voluntary basis from Italy. They are, Dr. Carlo Moiraghi, ALMA President and Dr. Paola Poli, AGOM President. This year, they also invited two other friends from Greece. They are, Dr. Konstatina Theodoratou, SAMAG President and ICMART President and Prof. Aristotelis Karagkuunis, KYTA HELLAS President and also Hellenic Yoga Association President.
The training was done for ten (10) days with a practicum in Acupuncture and Acupressure for all the fifteen volunteers. They were around in different poor communities in Zamboanga City giving more time to the Zamboanga City Jail, to the Zamboanga City Medical Center and to the Center for Holistic Health Care (CHHC) in Harmony Village. This is, indeed, a Love without Frontiers between the volunteers from Italy, Greece and Mindanao who dedicated their time and expertise to serve. Listening to the sharing of the volunteers from Italy and Greece, we are happy to know that in their experience going around the World to serve many poor countries, in many critical situations, they have found much openness and friendship in Mindanao, including the City Jail of Zamboanga, where there is a proper discipline to follow, but where they also felt their friendship. This experience for us in Silsilah is a new challenge because we started the CHHC ten years ago and along the years, we have found support and collaboration. This has inspired us to make the CHHC more active in serving our people. Many know that the CHHC produces Herbal medicines that have helped many. Now, with this new training, thanks to our friends from Italy and Greece, the CHHC is ready to do more. Thanks also to Dr. Gay Gonzales, a respected Doctor from Zamboanga, who has promised to offer voluntary service to Silsilah through the CHHC. She will be the Doctor in charge of this program of Silsilah. With this new development we can now serve better those who come to the CHHC and help patients through Acupuncture and Acupressure. We hope to provide our CHHC with a laboratory for analysis for doctors’ to identify diseases better and properly treat patients also with the help of our expert team in Acupuncture and Acupressure. In the past, the CHHC identified a number of doctors and other friends willing to help and now we hope to restart with more determination. Silsilah is also confident that providence will help to be able to provide the equipments and the laboratories needed to make the services of the CHHC more effective. For us in Silsilah, this service is a way to reach out especially those most in need not only in the CHHC at Harmony Village, but also in other communities in terms of possibility of time and coordination with local authorities and other doctors. The Silsilah Dialogue Movement, from 1984, has explored many forms of formation programs and services. This good story shared now is another step to reach out to many without frontiers of nationalities, cultures and religions. This is the Silsilah way. We believe that love is stronger than hatred.