Blog from home: Ross McGowan

Ross (right) with African Impact coordinator Nokwethemba,
Gogo Joyce and her great-granddaughter Angel.

During the month of June, Ross McGowan volunteered on our medical project in St Lucia. Here is his reflection on his time with African Impact once he returned home to Scotland. 

The 4 weeks that I spent in St Lucia on the Medical Project truly were the most amazing weeks of my life. There were so many memorable moments with every moment making me stronger as a person and making me appreciate the little things that I take for granted. 

Every day was a challenge and no two days were ever the same, which made it even more exciting. During my time volunteering for African Impact I assisted in a local clinic where I took BP, weights of adults, children and babies, temperatures, blood glucose levels, tests of urine samples and much more. I enjoyed meeting the many locals who visited this clinic and was touched at how kind and appreciative they were towards us. 

I also overcame my fear of holding tiny babies as I got to hold a 4 day old baby! Volunteering in the clinic definitely opens your eyes to how the healthcare system is contrastingly different in this country from what we have in westernised countries.

Home-based care was another project I volunteered on. We visited many patients who needed basic medical assistance (wound cleaning and dressing) and someone to talk to. For me, this part of the medical project was my favourite because of the vast amount of people we were able to help. It was touching how each and every patient was so appreciative of our help and usually always had a cheery grin on their face when we came to visit even though their situation usually was not the best. 

It made me think about the times when I had complained about such insignificant things and how these people were having a much harder time than I was and did not complain. 

Ross (centre) participating in Ezwenelisha Support Group.

I also learned so much about the various illnesses such as TB and HIV that are prevalent in these communities. Four weeks on the project allowed me to get to know the patients better, one person in particular being Gogo Joyce, who I admired for her strength and ability to take care of her many grandchildren being her age.

Other medical projects I took part in were HIV education and support group sessions. For HIV education Cece, a fellow volunteer, and I were responsible for teaching a group of 6 women all about HIV and safe sex with the aim that they would use their improved knowledge in the area to help others and themselves to live a happy and healthy life free of HIV since the virus is so prevalent in the community we worked in. 

For support groups we would talk to the members about a health topic that they had chosen the week before because they wanted more knowledge on that topic and felt we would be able to help them. We discussed many topics during my time in St Lucia - some being healthy eating on a budget, pregnancy, the flu and oral hygiene. My favourite topic was oral hygiene because Branwen (a fellow volunteer) and I got to make a big cardboard set of teeth which we used to demonstrate correct brushing techniques to the members! We then got to give out toothbrushes and toothpaste to the members for themselves and their families and it was so nice to see how thankful and happy they were to have been given such a basic and necessary item that we take for granted.

Ross face painting at Afterschool Club. 

In the afternoons I was a part of many other projects such as Afterschool club, Inkanyezi Creche building and 10 families. These projects were really fun and my most memorable moments from these were getting to make my own bricks imprinted with my name that would later be used in Inkanyezi Creche, seeing Skinny Lady on the 10 families project who was no longer skinny thanks to the E-Pap supplement African Impact had been giving her, and finally getting to paint every child in the afterschool club’s face as that of a cat and one child even getting to do mine!

The people I met on this trip were the most amazing bunch of people I have ever met. Sofie, Carla and Alanna were responsible for running the projects and assisting the volunteers and did the most amazing job. They made me feel so at home that I really didn’t want to leave after my 4 weeks had come to an end. They are definitely lifelong friends of mine, as are the other volunteers who I worked with on the projects. 

I would 100% recommend anyone who wants to volunteer and make a difference to go to St Lucia! It will be everything you hope it will be and so much more! It was for me.

Official opening of Inkanyezi Creche

The event was filled with people from all over the
community, as well as important government officials.

Last Wednesday, African Impact volunteers and staff celebrated a very special Nelson Mandela Day with the opening of Inkanyezi Crèche, a day care run by Mama Gumede, who African Impact volunteers have been assisting since late 2010.

After three weeks of intensive building and preparations, and months building bricks and making other renovations, the volunteers spent the days before the event preparing resources to decorate the classroom, cleaning Inkanyezi’s large property and even making flower arrangements and helping cook the event’s food.

It was a great day of celebration for the community as many people came to see the doors open, including representatives from Department of Welfare, Department of Health and Department of Education.

Local Councilor Siyabonga Khumalo highlighted the importance of the event being held on Mandela Day, stating, “This day is a very important one to all South Africa since we all know that the honourable Mr. Nelson Mandela, the first black South African President, was born on this day.”

Mandela was a strong advocate for education and learning, which made the event being held on his birthday all the more special for those involved.

Khumalo went on to mention just how thankful he was for African Impact’s continued support of the community, and how development in the region must be driven and supported by the people.

With well over 130 people in attendance, the event was filled with dancing and singing from local musicians and groups, including dancing from the children of Monzi Primary, who wowed the crowd with a Mandela-related song.

Throughout the day the importance of pre-primary education was echoed, even by African Impact’s Community Coordinator Shwele Gumede, who works extensively at the crèches in the Khula community and has been working at Inkanyezi for a year and a half.

The highlight of the ceremony was Mama Gumede’s ceremonial opening of the crèche, as she was handed the key by African Impact Business Manager Sofie Hyllen. Everyone in attendance, including the volunteers, danced and sang around the crèche, with Mama Gumede in the lead.

Even over the past week we have seen an increase in the number of children attending the crèche, an exciting development for Mama Gumede, her teachers and our volunteers.

Special thanks to the Happy Africa Foundation for funding the building of the crèche, and to all those involved in providing support – whether it be monetary or through volunteering with African Impact.