Truck Convertion Part 1

On the one hand, we’re busy converting our expedition vehicle—an old fire truck—more specifically, we’re working on the living and storage areas. On the other hand, we’re currently creating the online presence for our project, namely the website and social media channels. We’re also very focused on finding sponsors.

On the one hand, we’re working on converting our expedition vehicle—an old fire truck—more specifically, on converting the living and storage areas. On the other hand, we’re currently creating the online presence for our project, namely the website and social media channels. We’re also very busy searching for sponsors.

Our goal is to set out at the end of 2023. By then, we want to have the vehicle ready, have a network of people supporting us, and hit the road. My colleague Valerie Brehm, the team leader of the Stroke Unit at USB, is providing logistical support by collecting materials and ensuring they reach wherever we happen to be. We’ll then wrap up our work in Switzerland and devote ourselves entirely to this project. But that doesn’t mean we won’t come back at some point.

Even as a teenager, I always wanted to work in Africa someday—either as a volunteer or on an aid project. While pursuing my bachelor’s degree in nursing, I had the opportunity to complete a six-week volunteer assignment and chose Tanzania. My partner traveled with me, and we both worked at a regional hospital there. It was striking to see how much was lacking there: The same gloves are worn all day long, whereas here we go through 10, 20, or even 30 pairs a day. Or masks: In the maternity ward there, there are no small masks for newborns who need ventilation—they use adult-sized ones instead, and that often doesn’t work. Yet it would take so little to give these babies a good start in life. After we returned, we realized just how much supplies we have available here—and that’s how the idea came about. We’re also committed to giving items that are no longer needed a second chance and thus producing less waste.

I’ve always been very interested in how the healthcare system works in other countries and how my profession is practiced there. I love my work in nursing, and it’s very important to me. Comparing it to other countries helps me appreciate what we have here even more, but it also makes me realize that we don’t do everything perfectly here either. Seeing different approaches broadens one’s horizons—for example, when it comes to dealing with pain: In African culture, pain is experienced very differently than it is here. People there are less likely to say that something hurts—perhaps they also feel it less intensely. You have to respect all of that—there’s no right or wrong.

We also want to pass on our knowledge to others. Thanks to the excellent training and my work at the USB, I’ve built up a wealth of experience that benefits me—even if I can’t apply my knowledge there exactly as it is. The many different cultures represented by our patients here are also an advantage—it allows you to learn about very different expectations and ways of interacting with family members. At the USB, I learned to respond to people individually and to respect their cultural backgrounds.

Of course, it would be great if USB could also send us materials intended for disposal in the future. Other than that, I hope we can get everything we need together and start supplying the first hospitals as early as next fall.