Medical School Hotline: from Kaka‘ako to Manila: lessons learned in global health.

The Philippines is a country of great diversity. There are over a hundred dialects of the Filipino language. The local cuisine consists of delectable food infused with Spanish, Chinese, and other Southeast Asian flavors. The land itself boasts sceneries ranging from bustling commercial centers to misty mountaintops, to sunny ocean shores. Despite such variety a dichotomy remains constant regardless of location—socioeconomic disparities. Manila, the capital city, serves as a prime illustration of economic extremes. Beside gated communities and ritzy establishments lie shanties and squatters. The rich and poor live side-by-side and yet lead very different lives. Wealth is an ultimate goal for many of the citizens, but for many families merely surviving is a feat in itself since the average person can work for a full day and still barely provide enough to feed his family dinner. This nation is home to one of the world's largest shopping malls; yet it is a developing nation. As such, its citizens are all-too familiar with the simple truth that money defines access. Sheltered versus unsheltered, satiety versus famine, and health versus disease are the dominant forms of differences.