Health volunteering abroad: a lot to offer
- Published: 03 June 2008 09:00
- Author: Patricia Sloan
- More by this Author
- Last Updated: 06 June 2008 14:59
- Reader Responses
HSJ catches up with VSO workers in Cambodia to find out what they are contributing to the country's health strategy
Charity VSO provides humanitarian aid programmes around the world, supported by teams of volunteers. Here, some of the organisation's voluntary workers currently helping out in Cambodia share their experiences.
Helen Bradford is a VSO health programme manager
She says: "The VSO Cambodia health programme currently works with 15 government and non-governmental partner organisations as part of a five-year strategic plan focusing on improving reproductive, child health and nutrition in four of the most remote and impoverished provinces in the country. The strategy aims to support the implementation of the Royal Government of Cambodia's own strategic plan, which in turn is based on national strategies such as poverty alleviation and international priorities such as the millennium development goals.
"I have been placed here for five months and my role is rapidly developing into an interesting and challenging one"
"Each of VSO's partners have an agreed set of medium to long-term objectives. VSO contributes a package of volunteer expertise and other capacity-building support activities. There are currently 20 volunteers working in the programme, each of whom has developed a package of activities that is making a defined contribution to the partnership objectives agreed with their employing organisation.
"Volunteers are providing support to our partners to improve management of services and service quality, increase access to services, strengthen the quality of training for nursing and midwifery students and reduce community barriers to good health.
"Placements range from supporting national programmes to develop and review strategy and activities; working with local managers to help strengthen planning, implementation and review of services; providing on-the-job coaching and mentoring to clinicians; working alongside trainers and health educators to improve the provision of information to students, community volunteers and communities themselves; and research and advocacy."
Delia Stolz is a nutrition adviser in Stung Treng
She says: "I worked as a registered clinical dietician in the UK for five years before volunteering with VSO. As a volunteer nutrition adviser, I work at a strategic level with a provincial health department in north east Cambodia. The department is responsible for the activity of all health centres and hospitals in the area and the placement is a part of a long-term project that targets reproductive and child health.
"I don't have an operational caseload, working instead with the provincial health department, hospital and health centre staff, local volunteer health groups and non-governmental organisations to improve nutrition services in the province. Some of the activities I am involved with are advising the hospital malnutrition unit, training on the use of malnutrition management guidelines, teaching staff how to interpret growth charts and make appropriate referrals.
"While my nutrition knowledge is important, most of the time I am using broader development skills to support the achievement of the joint objectives of VSO and the provincial health department."
Emily Holtmaat is a VSO nursing adviser at Kratie Referral Hospital
She says: "Working in a developing country was one of my dreams when I was a young girl. After five years of being a clinical nurse in Holland, I got the opportunity to live my dream in Cambodia. My role as a nursing adviser in the hospital is to facilitate the improvement of basic nursing care, and therefore improve reproductive and child health.
"At the moment, I am focusing on two projects: a cooking demonstration class at the paediatric ward for mothers, which teaches them how to cook a nutritious porridge for their children and is combined with health education about nutrition and hygiene.
"The second project focuses on improving basic hygiene in the hospital, by supporting and advising the cleaners on their role in the infection control process. With small steps, I hope to make a contribution to the improvement of nursing care in Kratie Referral Hospital."
Sarah Wooledge is VSO NGO capacity-building projects management adviser to MEDiCAM
She says: "My role is working with health non-governmental organisations and health departments to improve the management of the health system and the organisational and planning skills of those managing health projects. Many developing countries have weak health systems, limited capacity and insufficient health workers, with much health education and services being provided by NGOs. Building the capability of the NGOs and ensuring good communication and collaboration with the national health programmes is therefore crucial.
"My background is in process improvement and management consulting and my role is to help build the capacity of people and organisations working in the Cambodian health sector. I have a number of ongoing activities that vary from organisational and personal coaching, to training in strategy, planning and management, to advocating for health issues and ensuring networking and communication between the health NGOs and the central and local government health departments."
Patricia Sloan is hospital management adviser in Banteay Meanchey province
She says: "I have been placed here for five months and my role is rapidly developing into an interesting and challenging one, managing the expectations and ambitions of two very different hospitals while ensuring my role contributes to the partnership objectives VSO has agreed with the hospitals.
"The approach I am adopting falls into capacity building in key change areas at the hospital level.
"I am supporting the directors to develop their leadership role and strategic vision for their staff.
"I'm also developing the directors' and staff's knowledge and understanding to achieve stated objectives through inclusive approaches to planning and implementation.
"This is happening at various levels, such as requesting funding to send staff on training programmes, and at a more integral level of encouraging quality improvement approaches to all organisational change processes."
For more information, visit www.vso.org.uk
