Volunteers are the human face of HVO’s mission – they develop profound friendships during their rotations overseas, learn about the realities of delivering care in a truly resource-scarce environment, and build relationships of trust that facilitate the exchange of ideas and information.
This exchange is not only a benefit to health workers at HVO project sites, but also an opportunity for HVO volunteers to learn and grow in their own careers. There have been many stories from HVO volunteers about how their assignments abroad have influenced them professionally. One such example comes from a frequent volunteer to Cambodia who shared the following about his work at HVO’s project site in Siem Reap:
… I was always aware of how much I had learned during my period as Developmental Pediatrics volunteer at the Angkor Hospital for Children (2004-2009) in Cambodia. That experience helped me to recognize the extent to which improving health care is not only resulting in significant mortality reduction in children, but also has led to almost a parallel increase in very young children with developmental delays and disabilities. My Cambodian colleagues quickly became interested in early identifying such children and ways to help families even though rehabilitation services were virtually non-existent. Collaboration with my Cambodian students has resulted in a simple one-page checklist of developmental milestones to help with early identification, referral for further evaluation and intervention, where possible. The work stimulated the development of a dissertation by the Cambodian medical director, has been used with teaching in Uganda and South Africa, and was published in a paper. It has also led to an extensive study of the global practice of early identification and intervention for children with developmental delays and disabilities, which has been widely circulated.
Obviously, there has been quite a spin-off from my volunteering experience in Cambodia!
Find out how you can volunteer with HVO. Visit out “Get Involved” page.