At Health Volunteers Overseas, we strive to improve global health by empowering health workers in resource-scarce countries who, in turn, strengthen their local health systems with the knowledge and hard work. The goal is sustainable development – creating a global health community that supports health workers and provides them with knowledge, skills and professional opportunity to serve their communities.
When we’re looking at the impact of HVO’s work and the determination of health workers in resource-scarce countries, we find that no one can sum it up better than our volunteers. We’ve compiled some of our favorite quotes from volunteers who have traveled to HVO sites in 2015:
A physical therapy volunteer who traveled to Vietnam this May reported a positive exchange of information during her trip:
“When two different countries can share and collaborate with each other in a professional manner, the world becomes a better place to live in. The cross-cultural experience is priceless. As a health care provider, it is always rewarding to make someone else’s life a little bit better. Most of our patients improved and were very appreciative for our help. By teaching the techniques to the Staff physiotherapists, we felt confident that their new skill could help their patient populations’ dysfunctions. A healthy world can bring much happiness to all!”
A dermatology volunteer who traveled to Cambodia in February 2015 found camaraderie through education. She wrote of her work:
“I presented a case report about a patient from my own practice to the residents. I also brought a copy of a journal article that I used to broaden my own understanding of disease and this new medicine. The condition is not one they have seen, and the medication used is not one they are familiar with. I held my breath when I was finished, half expecting blank faces and stony silence. instead, the residents started processing the material and asking pointed questions about the medicine’s mechanism of action and other uses of the drug. My lecture bridged the language and educational barriers to see the residents’ interest spark in the biology of a new medicine–the same feeling I get in my clinic at home thousands of miles away!”
A SEA-HVO fellow who traveled to HVO’s anesthesia site in Vietnam in March 2015 witnessed the tangible impact of long-term education efforts and brought his own knowledge to build on the work of past volunteers. He wrote of his experience:
“Speaking with the staff, it was quite heartening to hear how they believe the HVO volunteers have enriched their practice over the years. We were told that five years ago, the first HVO volunteers began to introduce ultrasound guided blocks. Most of the providers said they were initially quite intimidated by the technology and continued to practice paresthesia technique, but Dr. Chung insisted on buying HTO its own ultrasound, and with each group of HVO volunteers, they became less intimidated and more comfortable with the ultrasound. Trip reports from two years ago, reported that they were not using ultrasound in standard care. Now, the staff efficiently and skillfully uses ultrasound for axillary, infraclavicular, and femoral nerve blocks without need of supervision or guidance. One anesthesiologist may perform 8-10 ultrasound guided blocks in a single day! We were building on the work of the previous HVO volunteers by adding supraclavicular blocks and ultrasound guided arterial line placement to their repertoire.”
Write your own story! Learn first-hand what it is like to improve global health by working with your colleagues in a resource-scarce country. Become a volunteer.
If you’re not a health care professional or not ready to volunteer abroad, you can still support the work of our volunteers by making a gift to HVO.