DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 14 Nov) – A group of Mindanawon artists will hold an exhibit to promote art as a tool for healing and to raise funds that will benefit the children being taken care of by the one-year-old non-stock and non-profit Tebow Cure Hospital here.
Dinky Munda, a Mindanawon artist who is a member of Tabula Rasa, told Kapehan sa Dabaw here Monday that they have organized several artists to showcase their artworks in the exhibit dubbed “Kanlungan ni Hiraya” which will be exhibited in three different venues in the city.
The proceeds of each artwork sold will go to the Cure hospital, a six-storey and 30-bed medical facility, he said.
The exhibit will open on November 21 and will run until November 26 at the 5th Floor of the Tebow Cure Hospital in Bajada, and then it will be transferred to the Abreeza Ayala Mall on December 1 to 18 and December 12 to 14 at the SM Ecoland.
Munda said that the “Kanlungan ni Hiraya” symbolizes and promotes the union of Mindawon artists, especially those based in the city that is already known for its rich culture and arts.
He said they hope to broaden the scope of the art scene in the city.
Munda added that they hope to gain attention of the public on the different artworks coming from different artists from Mindanao.
“The art of Mindanao is unique,” he said.
He explained that this the only place in the world where each artist can blend together the diverse culture of Lumads, Moros, and Christians into one art form.
A briefer for the exhibit it said that the artists participating in the exhibit want to help by bringing in the healing through art for the children with physical disabilities and contribute to the cultural and economic development of the city and Mindanao.
Vincent J. Bitana, development and sustainability officer of Tebow Cure Hospital, said that they have so far attended to around 800 patients aged 0 to 18 years old since they opened doors to the public last year.
The hospital envisions of reaching out to the children with bone deformities and orthopedic disabilities in Mindanao.
“Sen. Manny Pacquiao and his wife, Jinky, sends a busload of children almost every week to us,” Bitana said.
He said they recently accommodated two children – cousins aged 7 and 11– who suffered from third degree burns and had their limbs amputated after being caught in the crossfire in Basilan.
The hospital lives off the funds mostly coming from donors in the United States, Bitana said.
Missionary couple Dr. Scott Harrison, an orthopedic surgeon, and his wife Sally started the Cure International in 1996 after seeing the need for a medical facility that will attend to the children with treatable and curable conditions such as hydrocephalus and club foot.
The organization initially recruited American and British doctors to provide free surgeries to African children with disabilities in local hospitals. Harrison also did free surgeries himself and trained new surgeons while raising money to support CURE’s medical services.
With the generous flow of donations, as well as through partnerships and long-term sponsorships, CURE’s first hospital was established in Kenya in 1998.
In 2011, CURE formed a partnership with the Tim Tebow Foundation to establish the first hospital in Southeast Asia, to be located in Davao City.
Tebow, a US college football superstar who was drafted into the National Football League, traces his roots to the Philippines.
He was, in fact, born in Makati City and spent his formative years in Davao together with his missionary parents.
Tebow found the partnership with CURE as a valuable opportunity to give back to the community and the people he has grown to love and care for, which happens to be an area of great need for medical assistance. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)