Give burn survivors access to rehabilitation

This past month (September 2025), our team had the privilege of traveling to the Philippines to strengthen connections with our burn rehabilitation colleagues. During our visit, we met with the burn unit and rehabilitation team of the Philippines General Hospital, and we were also honored to participate as invited speakers at the burn care and rehabilitation conference organized by Physicians for Peace Philippines.

This trip was especially meaningful because many of the professionals we met in person were already familiar faces through our online training programs. Meeting them face-to-face reinforced the value of building a global community of burn rehabilitation specialists who can learn from one another and share practical solutions.

At the conference, our team presented on the importance of managing post-burn edema, a condition that can greatly affect recovery if not addressed early. We also led a hands-on workshop where we demonstrated simple but effective techniques to control edema and scarring, using Coban and gauze bandaging. These methods are safe, affordable, and easy to apply—making them accessible even in resource-limited settings.

This experience reminded us that while burn survivors everywhere face similar challenges, the solutions are often best developed and shared through collaboration across borders. Because of your generosity, we were able to not only travel and share this knowledge, but also provide practical skills that therapists in the Philippines can immediately use with their patients. Every therapist trained means dozens of burn survivors will benefit, creating a ripple effect that extends far beyond our visit.

As we reflect on 2024, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to each of you. Your continued support has not only sustained our efforts to provide burn survivors with access to rehabilitation—it has helped us grow and reach further than ever before.

Thanks to your generosity:

• We launched our first international internship program for burn therapists and welcomed two occupational therapists from Colombia for a two-week hands-on training at our center. This marked an important milestone in our commitment to capacity building and knowledge exchange.
• We proudly participated in the International Society for Burn Injuries (ISBI) Congress in Birmingham, where we shared our work in burn rehabilitation and highlighted our long-term efforts to provide online training to therapists around the world.
• In 2024, we organized 12 online trainings attended by 301 individuals who joined a total of 441 times—more than double the reach of our 2023 trainings. Participants came from 39 countries, showing how global the demand for burn rehabilitation knowledge is.
• Our efforts to disseminate knowledge online continued to grow. Our educational blog hit 9,535 post views (up from 2,013 in 2023) and 6,398 unique visitors (up from 730 in 2023). Our Youtube channel where we share tips and how-to's reached 126,288 views (up from 18,301 in 2023) and 455 subscribers (up from 100 in 2023). Visitors to our training website came from 87 countries—a remarkable increase from 51 in 2023, both in numbers and geographic diversity.

This progress would not have been possible without you. Your donations empower us to build the skills of burn rehabilitation professionals globally, and ultimately, to improve outcomes for burn survivors who rely on specialized care.

Looking ahead to 2025:

• We will continue offering online courses in English and Spanish, with new themes based on therapist needs.
• We’ll keep growing our website, blog, and YouTube channel, and begin using Facebook to reach even more people.
• We will deepen our collaboration with international partners, both existing and new.

Thank you once again for being part of our journey. Together, we are creating a world where more burn survivors can access the rehabilitation they need to heal and thrive.