Can a nurse be a volunteer?

Hello Everyone!

My name is Lucia Melloni, I’m 26 years old and I’m originally from Italy. I studied nursing in Italy and after graduation, I moved to England to work. I have been living and working in the UK for four years now.  

How long was your volunteer placement?

I worked at Kamanga health Centre for nearly 3 months. From mid-January 2020 till the end of March 2020.

What was your volunteer role at Cedar Tanzania?

I was the first volunteer nurse at Kamanga Health Centre, before me only doctors had volunteered for Cedar Tanzania. During my time at Kamanga Health Centre, I mostly worked side by side with the nurses in the health centre helping improve their everyday practice. 

Please mention a couple of highlights of some of the activities that you were involved in whilst you worked for Cedar?

For three months, I have been working with the staff at Kamanga Health Centre and everyday was a highlight in my opinion.  What I most liked though, was that everyone in Kamanga was grateful for my efforts and time spent to help improving the running of the health centre. 

What things did you find challenging either in your work or living cross culturally?

Lucia Melloni, Volunteer Nurse

Our team 2020

Baby and toddler clinic

Families waiting to get their babies seen by our nurses.

Work and living within another culture can be challenging in many ways. What I found the most challenging was the language barrier. Working in healthcare and being able to communicate with your patient is essential. Not being able to communicate properly with my patients and particularly with the little ones was very frustrating.

What things have you found enjoyable or surprising about Tanzanian culture either socially or at work?

What I like the most of Tanzanian culture is the community living. Since the very first day I was in Tanzania, I felt welcomed. Same thing at the health centre, since the very beginning I have been welcomed as part of their family. I really felt home in Tanzania. 

What would you say to anyone considering a medical volunteer post with Cedar Tanzania?

I think it is a very good experience and a good starting point if you are interested in humanitarian medicine. It is also a chance for professional and personal growth.

How did the corona virus outbreak affect your time at Kamanga Health Centre?

The corona virus outbreak did not affect me that much to be honest because I was meant to come back home anyway. Two of my flights to come back to the UK were cancelled, but I managed to come back home in the end!

Find out more about volunteering with Australia for Cedar Tanzania here

Why should you care?

Why should you care about people in Africa? We have our own problems we need to care about. Isn’t that more important?

What if I tell you caring about people in Africa is caring for your own? 

What if I tell you helping people living in developing countries out of poverty is having a direct influence on your life?

How is that so?

You see, especially in these COVID times, it becomes crystal clear that we do not live in bubbles. That we are all connected. 

The surfacing of the new Omicron variant is putting a hold on travel plans again. Some countries are re-instating masks and people are getting sick even though they are double-vaccinated. Just as it seemed like we could see light at the end of the tunnel it has been taken away from us again.

Most of the sub-Saharan Africa has very low vaccination rates. South Africa is leading the board with 24% of the population being fully vaccinated. In comparison, only 1.4% of Tanzania’s population has received a double dose.

Now, how does that affect you? 

Back to the Omicron variation we are seeing now. Virus mutations happens when it replicates inside an unvaccinated host. When a person is vaccinated the virus doesn’t get a chance to replicate as much and therefore less mutations can happen. Most of these mutations means nothing but now and again it hits jackpot and becomes better at something. Whether it is better at transmitting, more deadly, or becomes or immune to current vaccines is a bit of a lucky dip.

With the extremely low vaccination rates in sub-Saharan Africa the virus has so much more opportunity to mutate, and chances are we are going to see many more variants that will spread and affect us all.

Just send some more vaccines?

If only this was the only hurdle we’d see. 

Just like we see people being hesitant to get vaccinated in the rest of the world we are seeing that in Tanzania too. In fact, we have vaccines available at Kamanga Health Centre for anyone who would like to get a shot.

Hesitancy doesn’t only stem from people being COVID-deniers or believing in conspiracy theories. 

It comes from lack of education. Not knowing how diseases spread. Not knowing how vaccines can protect you. 

It comes from living in severe poverty. Not having money for transport to a hospital. Not being able to afford spending the day walking to a clinic and back. Not having capacity to think any further than how you are going to feed your children and yourself today.

So, what can YOU do?

Support organisations working with healthcare projects poverty alleviation in developing countries just like Australia for Cedar Tanzania.

Enable people living in severe poverty to earn a living. This will allow their children to go to school with full tummies and have capacity to learn. Being able to afford and demand basic healthcare services is essential.

Support organisations in delivering vital healthcare information. Support educational and entrepreneurial project delivered in the poorest areas of the world.

Join us in help making the world a better place.

A place where we can all get vaccinated and have the freedom to travel again.

Donate as little as $10.

Do it once, or make it an automatic monthly donation.

Changing Lives One Mask at the Time

With COVID-19 getting more prevalent on the African continent and therefore also in Tanzania we are in urgent need of personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep our medical staff safe at Kamanga Health Centre and to continue to provide quality care to the people of Nyamatongo Ward. Most of which have no access to running water or electricity and is experiencing severe poverty.

We do not have the ability to test for COVID-19, nor do we have ventilators, but we will treat people according to their symptoms and refer patients to larger regional hospitals if it is needed.

With the urgently needed Personal Protective Equipment we will be able to safely continue to conduct quality care and lifesaving treatments to the population of Nyamatongo Ward. We will be able to continue to provide a safe environment for women to give birth and for children under five to receive their regular check-ups and vaccinations even during the time of a pandemic.

This will minimise the risks of an uncontrollable spread of COVID-19 in Nymatongo Ward where essential measures as handwashing and social distancing isn’t feasible along with establishing new sanitising routines and an opportunity for us to inform the population about the importance and benefits of sanitation and hygiene. 

It will also assist us in further minimising risk of spreading other waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea and typhoid. With a minimised risk factor, we will experience fewer overall COVID-19 cases and fewer severe cases needing transfer to larger hospitals. Transfers in itself poses an added risk factor which is desired to avoid. Pneumonia is one of the most common diseases we see also prior to the Coronavirus pandemic.

You can see a breakdown of the needs on our appeal presented on Australian Communities Foundation website.

By Nina Hjortlund
Founding Director/CEO
Australia for Cedar Tanzania

Bamboo to the Rescue

It’s raining and muddy and you could almost use a canoe to get to the hospital entrance. The rainy season is seems endless this year and the lake has risen to unseen levels. We are struggling with more than just COVID-19.

As everywhere else in the world, Tanzania has enforced restrictions on social gatherings and is encouraging social distancing as well as good hand hygiene. Research is showing that most African countries are about one month behind Europe when it comes to the spread of the Coronavirus.

As we continue to provide lifesaving services to the population of Nyamatongo Ward in the North-Western Tanzania, we are faced with the urgent need to provide our staff with surgical masks and other relevant Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). 

The 30,000 people we serve have no other health facility in the area and no other place to give birth, be treated for malaria, get medicine for an infection or to take their children when sick.

Bamboo Rock Drilling came to our rescue and has ensured the purchase of 500 surgical masks and a full set of Personal Protective Equipment. This means we can continue to provide safe and secure medical services to the more than 1,200 patients we treat every month.

Bamboo Rock Drilling is one of our long-standing partners who regularly provides valuable support to Cedar Tanzania’s work.

Australia for Cedar Tanzania, Cedar Tanzania, and the people of Nyamatongo Ward are immensely grateful for the continued kindness and support provided by Bamboo Rock Drilling.

Thank you!

"Bamboo Rock Drilling Group operates throughout the African continent and is focused on empowering local stakeholders. By creating a network of locally registered businesses, engaging with key local selected partners and backed by our years of experience and wealth of knowledge in the sector, we are perfectly equipped for your every mining and exploration drilling need."

By Nina Hjortlund
Founding Director and CEO
Australia for Cedar Tanzania