On two occasions so far, a group of students who also shared student housing at the Miroir in Jette, departed to Cameroon to work as interns and volunteers. Commy was born in Cameroon. It is through her that other students got to meet Dr. Oben. He is a plastic surgeon who specialised at the VUB, and together with his wife runs a hospital and a local school in the capital of Yaoundé. He invests the income he earns in the capital in missions that cover remote field hospitals. Our students accompanied him in his mission to Cameroon.
"During my volunteer work I was able to partake in a mission in Doumé" says Ellen. "Dr Oben founded the We CCARE Foundation consisting of a team of volunteers including a cook, several nurses, a surgeon, a driver and even a missionary to hold consultations and perform surgery in remote areas. After having loaded the van with all kinds of medical supplies, fresh water containers and of course the whole team, we embarked on our seven-hour trip toward Doumé. For four days we worked in a local field hospital."
Press START - time to improvise
During the missions, the students worked in various health centres located in public buildings where a doctor and some nurses are employed. These centres normally run on a bare minimum of surgical and pharmaceutical supplies. The consultations are not for free, which means that the cost of doctor visits and medication quickly rises. The purpose of the mission was to offer the locals free consultations and surgery, so even people with limited financial resources could have access to appropriate medical care.
"A medical internship or volunteer work in an African field hospital is completely different to how we know it in Belgium.", Robin admits. "You will not find sophisticated robotic surgery here, but at the same time we have been imbued with a lot of technical knowledge and a sense of responsibility."
"You do also learn a lot about yourself," says Ellen. "There were times when we had to improvise, but in the end every little bit helped and we felt that our work was truly appreciated. We went to the core of our profession. "
VUB-green
Our students funded the missions in the outback with money they had raised in Belgium through an organised charity event at their initiative. The students also had a surprise for the children of the school run by Mrs Oben. Their roommate Maxime and member of the student council who followed the migration of the university’s new corporate identity, correctly predicted that there would be quite some leftover of stationary supplies at the communications department. Of course, a second life as school materials for the children would be a good idea. So the students filled up their spare suitcases full of notebooks and pens in the old VUB green logo. The Cameroon students were super grateful for the gift.
"We want to anchor the project on our campus by establishing a non-profit organisation," said Robin. "The idea is to raise money for other students to give them a chance to go on such missions as interns and volunteers. In time, we would also like to expand our mission to other locations”.