The St. Michael’s Hospital Urban Angels Philippines Mission, spearheaded by Operating Room Nurse Zenny Gepilano, is an evolving team of medical and non-medical volunteers who travel annually to the Philippines to deliver medical services to the economically disadvantaged population of the Western Visayan Region.
Each year the specific medical services provided by the team are dependent on the volunteers’ personal specialties, and over the years have included:
- Ophthalmic Care
- Reconstructive Surgery
- Physiotherapy
- Internal Medicine
- Paediatrics
The Urban Angels is a not-for-profit organisation and its continuance is heavily dependent on the generosity of our members as well as the public and private donors who have assisted in procuring thousands of pre-grade glasses, medications, hospital equipment and various other medical instruments, greatly enhancing the annual success of our missions.
Cost of travel is assumed by each volunteer but accommodations are provided by the Urban Angels through various fundraising events set throughout the year prior to our departure.
To date, there have been over 171 volunteers who have travelled with us to the Philippine Islands. The majority of our volunteers reside in Southern Ontario, specifically in and around the city of Toronto. Others are from the United States, Bermuda, and the UK.
Our efforts in Canada would have limited impact without the assistance and commitment of our counterparts in the Philippines, from Leah Palacios, our designated UA representative, to local volunteers, the various hospital and governmental liaisons that have accommodated our organisational needs.
Mission Statement
Born from the values and practices of St. Michael’s Hospital, the Urban Angels Medical Mission is committed to providing the same quality of care to every patient we encounter.
This inter-disciplinary team continuously aim to achieve the following:
- Fulfil our social responsibility to civil society not only as citizens of that configuration but as privileged individuals who understand that our respective crafts can be wielded to address circumstantial disparities.
- We respect the integrity of the cultures and practices of the communities we connect with and are committed to engaging in a reciprocal learning experience.
- The just recovery, re-utilisation and redistribution of resources.