Compassionate Thinking Blossoms Overseas - Ling Jiou Mountain and Chang Gung Hospital Protect Health of Underprivileged Students in Medan, Indonesia
To protect the health of underprivileged students overseas, the Ling Jiou Mountain (LJM) Charity Foundation and the medical volunteers group of Chang Geng Hospital recently traveled to Medan, Indonesia, for a 5-day health promotion campaign. This initiative aimed to provide international medical services for humanitarian care, demonstrating a genuine expression of religious compassion through concrete action.
Out of Compassion for All, Healthcare Expands Overseas
LJM Charity Foundation pointed out that, in line with the LJM Founding Abbot, Grand Master Hsin Tao's ideas of Compassion for All and Harmonious Symbiosis, it has been providing spiritual support and care at home and abroad, as well as major disaster relief. Over the years, LJM has consistently promoted medical services in countries such as Taiwan, Myanmar, Nepal, and Thailand. LJM expanded such services into Indonesia for the first time in 2025.
Shan De School is located on the outskirts of Medan and was established in 2013 by ethnic Chinese merchant Guan Sun-Hai. Spanning from kindergarten through high school, the school system is free of tuition fees and textbook charges. Enrollment eligibility is determined by the founder through personal house visits to the applicants' families. The current enrollment is over a thousand students, with more than ten percent of them orphaned or being raised by grandparents.
International Medical Cooperation on Indonesian Campus for the First Time
Conducting the school's first-ever on-campus health examination for all 456 pupils from 12 K-1 to K-6 classes in the span of 3 days, LJM and The Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Medical Team compiled a comprehensive dataset of examination results, with cloud-generated auto feedback of anomalies that require follow-up handed over to the school nurse and admin team.
During their examinations, doctors discovered that students had high rates of malnutrition, dental caries, and skin diseases. They also found problems such as ventricular septal defects, asthma, and insufficient puberty and hygiene education, highlighting the long-term vulnerability caused by the lack of medical care in rural areas.
Witnessing what the children lack, doctors were deeply impressed
Dr. Wu Chao-yi said that many children do not live with their parents and lack knowledge of self-care. When she saw third- and fourth-grade girls who had just started menstruating but did not know how to take care of themselves, the lost look in their eyes lingered in her mind for a long time.
The medical team also aimed at enhancing the teachers' capabilities by offering courses on trauma treatment and first aid. The teachers had many questions, recounting past experiences they hadn't been able to handle, and their engagement deeply impressed the instructors. Dr. Hung Shang-kai remarked frankly that short-term support without "local engagement" can easily become an external intervention that disrupts the local ecosystem. However, the stable operation of Shan De School, its trust with the community, and existing oral health programs ensured that this service truly met with local needs, rather than being a one-off act of goodwill.
Aligning more local resources for more intensive cooperation
On the last day of service, which coincided with a public holiday, the volunteer team stayed behind to provide advanced oral hygiene education for teachers and prospective students to ensure the continuation of good habits. Meanwhile, the Chang Gung Hospital team also visited Medan's largest private hospital, the Royal Prima Hospital Dental Clinic, where the director gave a guided tour. They expressed their hope to establish collaborations with Chang Gung Hospital and Chang Gung University in the areas of medical care, research, and social welfare, including physician training, exchange visits, and even joint community-based intergenerational research.
In the sunshine of Medan, Taiwanese medical professionals and the compassionate spirit of Ling Jiou Mountain intertwined to create a warm and powerful force. As the Chang Gung physicians put it, "We hope to leave behind more than just temporary assistance; we hope to help children become truly healthier and stronger in the future." The world may be vast, but compassionate notions can shorten distances, allowing the love of Ling Jiou Mountain and the doctors to show more children the possibilities of the future.
Out of Compassion for All, Healthcare Expands Overseas
LJM Charity Foundation pointed out that, in line with the LJM Founding Abbot, Grand Master Hsin Tao's ideas of Compassion for All and Harmonious Symbiosis, it has been providing spiritual support and care at home and abroad, as well as major disaster relief. Over the years, LJM has consistently promoted medical services in countries such as Taiwan, Myanmar, Nepal, and Thailand. LJM expanded such services into Indonesia for the first time in 2025.
Shan De School is located on the outskirts of Medan and was established in 2013 by ethnic Chinese merchant Guan Sun-Hai. Spanning from kindergarten through high school, the school system is free of tuition fees and textbook charges. Enrollment eligibility is determined by the founder through personal house visits to the applicants' families. The current enrollment is over a thousand students, with more than ten percent of them orphaned or being raised by grandparents.
International Medical Cooperation on Indonesian Campus for the First Time
Conducting the school's first-ever on-campus health examination for all 456 pupils from 12 K-1 to K-6 classes in the span of 3 days, LJM and The Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Medical Team compiled a comprehensive dataset of examination results, with cloud-generated auto feedback of anomalies that require follow-up handed over to the school nurse and admin team.
During their examinations, doctors discovered that students had high rates of malnutrition, dental caries, and skin diseases. They also found problems such as ventricular septal defects, asthma, and insufficient puberty and hygiene education, highlighting the long-term vulnerability caused by the lack of medical care in rural areas.
Witnessing what the children lack, doctors were deeply impressed
Dr. Wu Chao-yi said that many children do not live with their parents and lack knowledge of self-care. When she saw third- and fourth-grade girls who had just started menstruating but did not know how to take care of themselves, the lost look in their eyes lingered in her mind for a long time.
The medical team also aimed at enhancing the teachers' capabilities by offering courses on trauma treatment and first aid. The teachers had many questions, recounting past experiences they hadn't been able to handle, and their engagement deeply impressed the instructors. Dr. Hung Shang-kai remarked frankly that short-term support without "local engagement" can easily become an external intervention that disrupts the local ecosystem. However, the stable operation of Shan De School, its trust with the community, and existing oral health programs ensured that this service truly met with local needs, rather than being a one-off act of goodwill.
Aligning more local resources for more intensive cooperation
On the last day of service, which coincided with a public holiday, the volunteer team stayed behind to provide advanced oral hygiene education for teachers and prospective students to ensure the continuation of good habits. Meanwhile, the Chang Gung Hospital team also visited Medan's largest private hospital, the Royal Prima Hospital Dental Clinic, where the director gave a guided tour. They expressed their hope to establish collaborations with Chang Gung Hospital and Chang Gung University in the areas of medical care, research, and social welfare, including physician training, exchange visits, and even joint community-based intergenerational research.
In the sunshine of Medan, Taiwanese medical professionals and the compassionate spirit of Ling Jiou Mountain intertwined to create a warm and powerful force. As the Chang Gung physicians put it, "We hope to leave behind more than just temporary assistance; we hope to help children become truly healthier and stronger in the future." The world may be vast, but compassionate notions can shorten distances, allowing the love of Ling Jiou Mountain and the doctors to show more children the possibilities of the future.