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VfP Partner Highlight
Voicing the Volunteer Experience:
Who: Laurie Roberts
Volunteer Host Organization: Hands Along the Nile Development Services
Where: Cairo & El Minia Egypt
Sector: Global Health & Education
Volunteer Activity: Provided training seminars health care professionals, students and community volunteers.
“We traveled, we taught, we learned as well. I know that each time we leave; we leave with more than we brought. We carry the smiles, the friendships we made, and the knowledge of the needs of the communities.”
My trip to Cairo and El Minia, Egypt benefited the communities by providing training seminars for local health care professionals, students and community volunteers. One of my experiences ─ which I believe will have a lasting impact for both myself and the Egyptian community ─ was my presentation on critical care nursing at El Minia University’s International Conference on Nursing. This event was organized by the University and we had the honor of being the featured international guest speakers.
From the conference, I came away more determined to do as much as I could to help the people who are so desperately reaching out. I believe this experience wasS the most beneficial to the overall community, because the nurses I helped to educate at El Minia University will provide medical care to so many patients.
While in the village communities my group and I gave presentations on topics such as basic health care, first aid, CPR, woman’s health and cardiac health. Again, I saw women, mothers, wives and leaders reaching out for help, wanting the information that would be useful for their families and communities. I saw the things we take for granted each day; clean water, healthy food, and health care, are not that easily available in many parts of the world. I was very impressed by all of the people, the smiles, the gratitude and the attention they gave us for coming to bring them this information. At several of these sessions, we learned that women who had attended them previously were continuing to use their knowledge in their work. This feedback from the communities themselves assures me that this medical mission trip provided valuable opportunities to the people of Cairo and El Minia.