Ana and Ruth

There are experiences that don't allow you to see the world through the same eyes again... and that are also hard to put into words.

Cooperation is much more than volunteering. It is living the culture, living alongside its people, connecting, and understanding the situation and its circumstances from within.

The reality is that incredible work is done with resources that sometimes don't even reach the bare minimum. The truth is we are not aware of just how important a basic ultrasound scan is in other parts of the world.

And at this point in the scans and women's healthcare, we have moved ourselves. Without doubt, supporting African women is key to the engine of change. There are no words to describe the strength they transmit and the admiration they evoke... their capacity to fight, to create, to nurture, to guide, to be a mother... What a pleasure to see them pass on that strength from generation to generation.

We encourage you to contribute and play your part in collaborations that leave a mark, endure and foster change, just as training healthcare professionals does.

Alex

I sit down in front of the computer to write down my feelings after a volunteering trip… But nothing comes out… There are so many feelings and so many memories that I don't know where to start.

This is already the third time I have been to Cameroon as a medical volunteer, and no two times are the same, nor does one get used to it or does it become routine. Every time is different.

On this occasion I can certainly say it is the one where I feel most satisfied, since my work has helped to train local healthcare staff. And that is the most important thing. Although at the same time you see the limitations they are going to have in their day-to-day work, and it is not easy to adapt to that.

You arrive with all your science, your international protocols, your “New England” recommendations... And then you realise that you're not going to be able to apply them. Because reality is different, neither better nor worse, simply different. And that is what is hard to put into words.

For that very reason, I encourage you to experience it for yourselves, and to be able to take my place soon and sit in front of the computer... searching for the words to tell the tale...