Zeinab Akhter's Gap Year Grant report 2016
The Trust awarded a modest Gap Year Grant to Zeinab Akhter
to help with the costs of a Medicine and Healthcare project
in Kenya with Projects Abroad. This is her report on her
return. Zeinab is a Birmingham girl now studying medicine in
Southampton.
Report to the Roughley Trust
'Medicine and Healthcare' project with 'Projects Abroad' in
Kenya. Easter 2016
I had travelled with Projects Abroad in 2014 on a ‘two-week
special’ programme in Nepal aimed at volunteers under the age
of eighteen, so I was confident that this was a company that I
could trust. I wanted to develop my independence by being
involved in a not so strictly scheduled project and to have
the opportunity to live with a host family, rather than in a
hotel, so that I could learn more about the local culture and
traditions. I have always enjoyed working closely with
people and I felt that it would be a great experience to not
only help health professionals, who were limited in numbers,
but to also help locals through education and treatment, who
may not otherwise have received this.
On the 20th March, I was quite nervous when I arrived at
London Heathrow, as I have never travelled alone on a plane
before. We landed in Kenya at 9pm and I then had to wait in a
queue for two hours to collect my baggage. As I walked through
arrivals I was astonished to see so many unfamiliar faces.
Luckily, I saw a man holding a board that said “Projects
Abroad”. I double-checked his photograph on my phone to make
sure that he was the right person. Next day we drove down to
Nanyuki . It took four hours.
During the week I was busy with my placements at Liki
Dispensary and my medical outreaches. As a medical student I
found these experiences invaluable. I was involved in
pregnancy examinations, foetus development checks and family
planning advice. I helped check children for malnutrition,
growth development and medicine dispensary. The clinic
consisted of five nurses and no other health professionals.
The clinic was very busy and so the staff appreciated my
contribution.
On one of the medical outreaches, I was placed at a girl’s
boarding school called Daraja. I was told to teach girls aged
fourteen to seventeen about reproductive health. I understood
that the girls would be shy to ask questions about this topic
so I asked them to write their questions on a piece of paper
anonymously. As I began answering questions, more and more
girls became confident enough to ask me other questions
related to this topic. At the end I asked whether they had any
more questions and I was surprised when they gave me speeches
of appreciation and wrote me thank you notes.
Another outreach took place in a village, where we were
working in an old shed. We set up three stations, one where we
created an area where we could weigh the patients, measure
their height and arm circumference; another where we could
consult the patient to diagnose them and finally a pharmacy
with donated drugs from local hospitals. I had the opportunity
to put in use what I had learnt from university about the
different antibiotics, various illnesses including
neurological disorders. I was able to help the nurses with
diagnosis and treatment options. Our clinic was a success and
we remained in the village for longer than expected. Villagers
were very grateful for receiving our support and free
medication.
Another outreach was at an orphanage called ‘Hope and Home’.
Here we organised a sports tournament with the street
children. We played various sports with them, which they
really appreciated.
On the weekends, I had the opportunity to travel with the
other volunteers. We organised safaris, trips to other cities
such as Nakuru and Nairobi. We used the public transport for
travel (tuktuks and matatus) and hired a safari car for some
of the activities. We also attended cultural shows, which
helped us gain a better insight into Kenyan culture and
traditions.
In conclusion, my self-confidence both as a person and in my
studies has greatly increased. My awareness about culture and
issues has improved by being able to live in the Kenyan way
and visit the different cities. My favourite part of the
experience was the teaching, as I have never done this before.
The appreciation I received was very touching.
Thank you for supporting me.
Zainab Akhter
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