Bogor, 17 January 2018 – When we think of a medical doctor among refugees, we might be forgiven for assuming that the doctor is there to provide emergency medical treatment. When we first see Dr Tine Quendangen, however, she is lying on a floor next to a refugee, and they are both trying to suppress their laughter.

Tine retired from fulltime medical practice a year ago, and she did not want to spend her time shopping, or finding other ways to make more money. She realised that she had one thing that she was truly rich in: “I now have time to give.”

When she decided to volunteer with the Jesuit Refugee Service in Indonesia, Tine noticed that a common complaint among the refugees was chronic back pain. She now teaches refugees exercises that stretch and strengthen their back and other muscles, to alleviate and prevent back pain.

The training sometimes involves physical contact, and this can lead to awkwardness, and then to laughter. “The laughter also helps them forget their pain,” says Tine.

“Even if we have no special skills, we can give refugees our attention, just asking them how they are, for example.” For Tine, being a medical doctor is not the most important thing that she brings to refugees. She provides friendship, a listening ear, a minute to share a laugh. Tine knows that you just need to #Do1Thing to change the life of a refugee.