Philippines - Hilwai

You are here: Our projects > Country case studies > The Philippines, Hilwai

'The Miracle Boat'

BBC 4's documentary on Handicap International's orthopaedic boat

Wednesday 12 April, 8.30pm on BBC 4

The Miracle Boat, narrated by wheelchair athlete and Paralympic gold medallist Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, takes us to the Philippines, where a combination of poverty and unique geography of 7000 islands has cut disabled people off from the scarce treatment on offer on the mainland.

That is, until a boat called the Hilwai came into action. Handicap International's floating orthopaedic clinic, crewed by a team of specialists, is bringing treatment to disabled people in the farthest flung islands of the Philippines, making artificial limbs from its makeshift workshop on board. 

(c)Handicap International

The film follows the Hilwai during a three month campaign to the island of Masbate and records inspiring stories as people who have struggled with disability for years are given back not only their mobility but also their independence.

Born with no leg, Frankie Villarin has never been more than a few hundred yards from the remote wooden hut where he lives. Still he earns what little he can to support himself and his mother. Michelle Aplacador can’t go to school with her brothers and sisters. With no legs and only one arm, she’s also imprisoned by her disability. Jose Mijares ploughs the field with a painful makeshift leg made of bamboo. His amputation was the result of a gash to the leg which he couldn’t afford to get treated by the doctor.

(c)Handicap International

These people, and many more, have struggled to live their lives with no outside help. And on other islands, such as Mindanao, civil war has added to the numbers of people with disabilities. The Hilwai is a floating beacon of hope for people who have refused to let disability dictate their lives.

Read more about Hilwai

Visit BBC Four website