Experiences of our volunteers ****************************************************************************************** * The Itibo mission ****************************************************************************************** Veronika Matraszek, 3rd Faculty of Medicine CU, student of general medicine Kenya can be beautiful and harsh at the same time. A group of students from the 3rd Facult and supervising physicians traditionally visit the small village of Itibo, almost 6,000 ki Prague, as part of a humanitarian mission under the auspices of the non-profit organizatio assistance to the local hospital. I myself had the opportunity to become a part of this ex during the summer of 2022. The main purpose of the mission was to provide medical care to the local residents. We enc sorts of cases such as “ordinary” high blood pressure, malaria and meningitis, as well as or chronic wounds. As I would like to work in gynaecology and obstetrics after completing spent most of my time in the maternity ward, where we delivered 18 children during our mon This trip was an extremely enriching experience for me, and I can say that it gave me more than any of the other internships I have had during my studies combined. Learning to work where one only has limited medication, laboratory tests, and equipment at hand was a chall reward for all of us was the warm feeling that we had managed to improve, at least to some lives of people who would otherwise not have access to healthcare. You can read more about the project here [ URL "https://itibo.cz/"] . ****************************************************************************************** * Assistance for oncological patients ****************************************************************************************** Karolína Mikysková, Faculty of Arts CU, student of psychology I regularly visit the oncology department at Bulovka Hospital, and I always stop in severa patients’ rooms. I usually talk with patients about what they want or need to talk about. experienced a lot of nice conversations that didn’t necessarily have to go too deep to fee meaning. I’ve also strengthened my ability to deal with rejection, at least a little bit ( the supervision that Amelie provides to volunteers). I experienced what it’s like to visit people in difficult life situations, not knowing wha behind the closed door of the room (I was often more nervous before entering the room than actually in it). I came to an understanding that what we talk about is up to the patient, be open to this. This is probably only a small fraction of what awaits me in my future pro very valuable. More information about the organization is available here [ URL "https://www.amelie-zs.cz/ ****************************************************************************************** * Personal assistance ****************************************************************************************** Jan Konečný, Faculty of Science, PhD student For several years, I have been assisting a person in a wheelchair get to and from his flat of a stair climber, assisting him in public transport, shopping, and taking care of his pa is not at home. I also order and collect goods for him from the Internet and communicate w banks, and institutions in cases where it is possible. I have learned a different perspective, especially with respect to ordinary life events. I to respect other people’s wishes and put my own behaviour aside, even though it would pers or faster for me to do things differently. ****************************************************************************************** * Medici PRO Očkování ****************************************************************************************** Karolína Hájková, Faculty of Social Sciences, PhD student My volunteer activities involved leading the volunteer association Medici PRO Očkování, wh established before the covid-19 pandemic as a response to the declining vaccination rate i Republic. I mainly devoted myself to the popularization and media coverage of scientific f field of vaccinations, disproving myths and misinformation in the healthcare sector, or le schools, physicians, and the media on communicating about vaccinations. Volunteering gave me self-confidence when lecturing or appearing in the media, and also pr large number of contacts and experience in managing people and organizing events, as well University of Oslo, which was part of winning the Gratias Tibi Award from People in Need, awards and experiences. Last but not least, working for the association Medici PRO Očkován opportunity to help and answer people’s questions about their health and establish new fri only among students from the 2nd Faculty of Medicine who founded the association. Thanks t I have acquired many hard skills and soft skills that I use practically on a daily basis, in other volunteer activities. In addition, communicating about vaccinations became part o project. ****************************************************************************************** * Energy to physicians ****************************************************************************************** Ondřej Hrubeš, Faculty of Humanities, PhD student At the beginning of the covid crisis, I devoted myself to the traditional preparation and energy packages for employees of medical and nursing facilities. It was a great activity, in pairs, during which you clear your head every Tuesday afternoon and chat with nice peop most dramatic episodes of the pandemic, it was also a way to treat yourself to some physic in addition to helping others. As the epidemiological waves passed, I also managed to figu recent months devoted myself to, the logistical coordination of shipments to the warehouse Above all, this volunteer activity gave me a great sense of meaning and usefulness in a ve for many of us. However, what I have taken with me are the friendships that fortunately di the epidemiological situation improved. As volunteer communities are the subject of my academic research, this helped me stay in t imaginary front line. Of course, it also helped broaden horizons, especially among the you since most of the volunteers were university students. You can find more information about the project here [ URL "https://www.energiilekarum.cz/