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A slide show of stark images of the Shatila Camp-crowded dwellings, children drifting toward school through piles of trash, the meager quarters of the medical clinic-began the AUBMC Volunteer Outreach Clinic's (VOC) presentation at their annual reception. The meeting was designed to review the work of the year and to recruit new volunteers from the ranks of AUBMC medical personnel; medical, nursing, and pharmacology students; and non-medical volunteers from the AUBMC and the general public. Following an introduction by the master of ceremonies, treasurer of the VOC Steering Committee Zeina Abdallah, Dr. Kamal Kamal Badr, one of the main physician supporters associated with the project, described the nature of his involvement as "an act of resistance" against Christian participation in the Sabra and Shatila killings of 1982. For me, he said, the VOC is "a place for my own healing." He went on to describe different ways of achieving union between AUB and Shatila. The VOC "is spirit," he said, "not just Shatila." He noted the VOC's aim to spread its activities throughout other underserved areas of Lebanon. Dr. Mahmoud Choucair, former president of the Lebanese Order of Physicians, related the situation of the VOC to global scenes of poverty and despair, where few are willing to help as does the volunteer clinic. Other volunteers presented reports on the clinic's progress throughout the year, assessing facilities and equipment, noting holdings of medications, services provided, numbers of patients directly treated, and referrals. They underscored the need for consultations, patient and parent education, nutrition instruction, group counseling, and above all for more staffing-more volunteers to provide better documentation and record keeping and to promote health education and networking. The speakers, all volunteers, included dentist Faysal Succaria, endocrinologist Muna Nasrallah, dietition Sana Zein el Abidine, pharmacist Reham Haddad, and Zeina Abdallah. Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Nadim Cortas reflected on the "biggest dilemma" faced daily by those working in the field of medicine: "What do you do with patients in need, when the means are not there?" The VOC, he emphasized, shows people on the edge of the economy that they are not abandoned, that there are people who care about them. Dr. Cortas suggested that the VOC move more aggressively to obtain more support. For Dr. Nuha Salti, one of the most dedicated staff physician supporters of the VOC, the young volunteers are impressive, but she wonders how long the purely voluntary work of the organization can last. Patients at the clinic, she observed, cherished the fact that at the VOC, they are "treated as real people, as human beings." At the close of her speech Dr. Salti summoned to the podium recent MD Faris Araj for special recognition of his tireless support (he assists at the Shatila clinic every Saturday). She presented him with a much-needed instrument for patient care-an otoscope. Want to help? For further information about the Volunteer Outreach Clinic, see MainGate (Vol. II, No. 2, pp. 18-22). You can join the VOC team and volunteer your time at the clinic or donate clothes, toys, medication, or financial support. Visit the clinic at www.voclb.com or e-mail outreach clinic@yahoogroups.com. You can reach the clinic by mail at PO Box 11-0236, Riad El Solh, Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon, Box 5538 or by phone at +961 3 668 259.
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