| The Philippine government's TB eradication programs have had mixed success. NGOs and individuals, like missionaries Tim and Dawn Holbrook, have attempted to take up some of the slack. The Holbrooks note that sometimes the necessary antibiotics are unavailable in their area from government supported clinics because the medicines have been diverted to the black market. "So far we haven't turned anyone away who wanted to be treated for TB for lack of funds," says Tim Holbrook. Tim uses a satellite phone to connect to the world beyond the Mangyan village to coordinate with NGOs and to keep in touch with donors. "Without the technology we probably couldn't do three-quarters of what we do," he says. Before the satellite phone, "a letter could take two to three months getting there and back. There's no way we could do this much work and coordination with NGOs without digital communications."
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