I am hoping to raise £1500 towards my trip to Tanzania, to volunteer as a nurse. I will be volunteering my time at the local hospital in Dar es Salaam and at a village community based in a remote location on the western side of the Uluguru Mountains.

During my time in Tanzania, I will spend three weeks in Amana Hospital local to Dar, primarily working with women and children, providing everything from, basic health care through to specialist care for those suffering with HIV.

My third week will be spent in Kidodi the local village situated on the edge of Mikumi National Park, giving basic aid and medical support to the members of the community. Within this week, my time will also be spent with local school children. I will not only assist with educating them on the fundamental aspects of health, but also helping develop their learning skills and grasp of the English language, whilst they help me learn their native tongue, Swahili!

The reason I am volunteering my time;

I believe that nursing is one of the most interesting and rewarding careers available today. I enjoy the difference I can make in to my patient's hospital experience on a daily basis. As a nurse, I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of medical settings, and have enjoyed the experience of learning the routines in each type of medical facility. It gives me great satisfaction to invest my time in an industry that is expanding and enriching patient’s lives every day.

However, I want to be able to take this opportunity to make a difference to those who are less fortunate than us that don’t have the readily available access to basic medical care. Things we take for granted including equipment as basic as beds and medication such as paracetamol are just a few things medical facilities in Tanzania lack. This is jus one of the ever increasing global health issues.

While many critical gaps exist in Tanzania’s health care system, more than 70% of all health facilities offer a full range of basic health services, including child care, family planning and treatment for infectious diseases.

HIV services are available throughout Tanzania, with one in four health care facilities offering counselling and testing, and one in eight providing prevention of mother-to-child transmission services. Antiretroviral treatment is far less available, however, only 4% of all health facilities prescribe antiretroviral therapy.

I want to use my time in Tanzania to make a difference, no matter how small, every bit of effort counts and goes a long way. I am very passionate about the work I do and helping people, particularly mothers and children less fortunate to us gain the health care and treatment that they deserve.

I want to make every second of my time in Tanzania count and leave knowing that I have made a positive impact on someone’s life, whether it is by providing them with the care that will ensure a better quality of life, or bringing a smile to a mothers face during a tough time.