Bibis, babus, families and children

After the end-of-year exams, some students decide to devote their time to helping others in different countries around the world. In this way, they engage in projects that complement their training both academically and staff. This year, the program is being reborn in the wake of the pandemic. Some of the target countries are Guatemala, Ecuador, Uganda, Tanzania and Ivory Coast.

Throughout the 2021/22 academic year, 1,499 volunteers took part in Tantaka's volunteer activities projects. Of these, 53 are participating in international cooperation activities this summer. It may seem like just numbers, but behind each person there is a story of how their actions have made an impact on their lives, and on the lives of those most in need.

"After this experience, I have confirmed that I want to dedicate a large part of my life to this". Francis Vieira, a medical student, has just returned from Tanzania. He explains that in order to participate in the volunteer activities he had to go through a series of stages, from preparing his CV and conducting several interviews, to approve all the subjects in the ordinary call. Francis started on June 5 at project Rafiki, supporting, mainly, one of its fundamental pillars: basic care. "We took care of bibis and babus (grandfathers and grandmothers, in Swahili). Many were getting their first basic checkup after years," he explains. The goal of this project is to take care of the maximum issue of people in the regions where they work, and to go from doing checkups every five years to doing them weekly. An absolute change in the lives of these citizens.

"What I liked most is that I felt it was the first time my actions had an impact on patients' lives," Francis says. At volunteer activities, he also collaborated with the project of Blue Sky School, a school that teaches English and is now approaching 1,000 students, helping its infirmary so that all children have a health record and ongoing care.

Recounting his experience, Francis declares himself "in love with project" and promises that he will continue to be a part of it. "Tanzanians are among my favorite people. From the moment you arrive they radiate happiness."

Laura Acebal had decided to do volunteer activities since last year, but could not due to the restrictions caused by COVID-19. This year she was given two alternatives: to travel to America with a large group of volunteers, or to do it in Africa with only one other person. She decided on the second option. About to start her fourth year of nursing, she tells us about her work in Ivory Coast, where she is currently: "We work from eight to twelve and from three to six. On weekends we take advantage of the time to go on excursions and visit different places. We are in a hospital, where patients come for appointments and check-ups. They have worked out a very interesting plan with which we can go to different places, pharmacies, treatment rooms, nutrition and give sessions at training". 

He says that what strikes him most is the number of malnourished children who arrive. "The patients arrive at a level of vulnerability that I have never seen before," he explains.

Laura's daily life in Côte d'Ivoire fills her with moments very different from what she is used to "There is a lot of poverty. Your electricity can be cut off for a whole day and you are left without connection. Given the status, these are things that don't matter much, but we are not used to them in Spain".

As she has yet to finish volunteer activities, she considers it an impressive experience, as she feels it has an impact on people's lives, especially women's lives.

Inés Ávila, a recent psychology graduate, has spent the whole month of June in Guatemala on a project project that aims to combat early malnutrition in children.

He comments that during his first years of degree program he had already thought about participating in some activity of volunteer activities: "In 2020 I had a project organized to help in India but the coronavirus arrived. This year I had the opportunity to help others again. I chose this project in Guatemala because of its approach".

Inés spent almost a month in the Central American country, visiting villages and families, and recording how the children were eating, how tall they were or how much they weighed. "Sometimes, beyond the medical, what the mothers needed was just for you to listen to them for a while or play with their children," she recalls.

After returning to Spain, Inés appreciates her experience: "At the beginning, poverty was very uncomfortable for me. I was very cold, but I saw that the children were very happy with the little they had," she admits. Now, after her volunteer activities, Inés is more appreciative of what she has and sees herself as capable and eager to face the challenges that come her way.

Carlota Uriarte, also a nursing student, says that she has always participated in actions of volunteer activities. Now she has just returned from the Ivory Coast and tells with great nostalgia about her daily routine: "At seven o'clock we had breakfast, from eight to twelve and from three to six we were in the assigned hospital. On Wednesdays we were taken to another hospital in a village where we followed up on the children's nutrition. On weekends we would visit other villages to play with the children and help in their Education".

One of the things that struck him the most was the attention that the people gave him: "In the villages, everyone went crazy to greet us. There were times when families would give you food, even though they had hardly any for themselves, and they were extremely happy to offer it to you."

The volunteer activities exceeded Carlota's expectations and she admits that she did not know what to expect, but now she is looking forward to returning. "The status has been much better than I expected. The people are crazy, they are very welcoming and offered you everything, everywhere," she recalls. "If people could put themselves at your service, they did it, but with joy. In that, they beat us a thousand times," he concludes.