Almost the weekend and future challenges ahead
on Carole Green (Sierra Leone), 26/Mar/2010 12:00, 34 days ago
So VSO training is over, I have a bank account with 200,000 leones in it (about£33!!!) and am now fully trained VSO volunteer ready to be let loose on the world (the world had better be ready!!). I'm looking forward to the weekend and starting work on Monday. Although I do have some anxieties at times and still struggling with the heat and slightly dodgy stomach, so far I haven't checked how much a flight costs back to Manchester (probably because I did this before I left... £600!)Here are some first week photos, of training, a beach plus my room and our balcony! Despite pedantic spraying and rolling on deet and sleeping in a net, I've been bitten twice so far but I'm hoping the loopy larium will stop me getting Malaria. Tomorrow we have the tour of the town and on Sunday my housemates have invited me to go on a trip to a nearby beach for swimming and relaxation.... fab! I have to write about the food, but thats for the next blog! And then to the Ministry on Monday....A BIT ABOUT THE CHALLENGES AHEAD......I've just been reading Tim's blog (timinfreetown.blogspot.com) He's the guy I contacted earlier this year about working in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. Tim's a HR specialist from NHS Wales and was here for 2 months last year and just arrived back for a few more weeks to support the free health care initiative (for kids under 5, pregnant and lactating women) due to be launched on 27th April. Tim's blog gives a fuller explanation of how this is going. The whole Ministry is focused on this initiative. As well as VSO, there many NGOs and funders/donors involved (Office of Tony Blair, DFID, Goal, Concern etc) due to the fact that SL has one of the highest maternal death rates in the world. Staffing is a big issue to success or failure as staff have historically supplimented their income from informal charges. Last week hospital staff went on strike, including the Childrens hospital which currently padlocked. This means that children and adults die during the strike and its still going on. There was a big meeting with the President yesterday to attempt to make a deal but the strike isnt over yet. I've tried to find something on the BBC website about this but there's nothing! I hope to find out more next week.