A certified physical therapist decided to spend a short vacation in Sabah. Upon meeting the volunteer mothers teaching in the Goducate literacy centers, she decided to share with them her knowledge about reflexology.
Most of the mothers already practise “hilot”, the massaging of muscles and joints, oftentimes to restore minor joint dislocations. They may also do massages to induce relaxation or to soothe certain pains. The methods that they use had been passed on to them from someone in the family or had been learnt by observation of others. Now, they had a chance not only to learn the scientific basis of what they have been doing, but also what should be or should not be done and why.
The training was done one Saturday when they were off from literacy work. They were willing to travel back to the Goducate Community Center to avail themselves of such training. For most of them, the training will not only enrich their knowledge but also be a possible source of income. Most of all, the knowledge they gain could turn out to be something very beneficial to their own family, because the majority of the people in this particular community in Sabah have no access to medical services on account of being undocumented aliens. They have come to Sabah to escape the poverty and civil strife in the southern part of The Philippines.
The physical therapist came over for a break, not expecting to train others. Soon she will go back to her workplace with a smile on her face, knowing that she was able to help others in her own simple way.
