Red Cross-Cebu bustles with summer activities

Summer is the perfect time for young lads to get circumcised—a transition from boyhood to manhood.

The Red Cross Youth-Cebu (RCY-Cebu), in partnership of Cebu City Health and Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), organized a community outreach program called “Operation Tuli” last May 4 at the barangay Ermita health center in Cebu City.

“I felt relieved for the success of the program and the hard work paid off,” said RCY-Cebu project chairman Andrew Earl Lou, who spearheaded the event.

“We expected a turnout of 80 to 100 people, but the number of children we circumcised reached 144,” said Lou. The patients were aged 6 to 12 years old.

Doctors and nurses from CCMC and city health, assisted by medical interns from CCMC, performed the circumcision.

Operation Tuli is an annual outreach of RCY-Cebu that started in 2009.

The program was sponsored by Fresh N’ Famous Foods Inc. – Chowking.

On May 8, the Philippine Red Cross-Cebu (PRC-Cebu) Chapter celebrated the World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day in honor of Jean Henri Dunant, the father of Red Cross.

A Mass presided by Fr. Ted Podson was held at 10 a.m. at the PRC-Cebu Chapter, followed by the blood-letting activity by RCY-Cebu at the Parkmall in Mandaue City.

Safety service instructors also conducted a demonstration on basic life support (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).

The PRC-Cebu announced that there is an ongoing training of safety institute batch 2 until June 7 at their center and a summer institute batch 15 teaching the youth about basic leadership training and first-aid training at the Bright Academy in Banilad, Cebu City, until May 27.

The Parkmall, Smart Communications and Wakamatsu Yakiniku Japanese restaurant are the major sponsors of PRC-Cebu in implementing community program. /Red Cross Youth volunteer Christell Fatima M. Tudtud