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Passing on knowledge is the best cure
Belgian doctors and nurses spend their holiday time helping and educating African medics
Medics without Vacation (MWV) is an NGO made up of about 400 Belgian doctors and nurses who spend their holidays working for free in Africa providing training to African colleagues at the operating table, on the hospital ward or in the lab. With African hospitals facing huge demands for surgery and medical assistance, MWV helps to support the basic human right to healthcare, the right to qualitative care for the poor and the right to health education to prevent illnesses.
Working in and with Africa
Many Africans don’t have access to a good hospital: often the staff have not had enough training and the necessary equipment for qualitative care is simply not available. MWV volunteers bring experience, knowledge and medical equipment to their African partners. They operate and treat patients in close cooperation with their African colleagues and pass on their knowledge to the local doctors so they can continue to help people after the mission.
“We form a team with our local colleagues because it is only through close co-operation that we are able to pass on our experience and knowledge. We have great admiration for these doctors, because even though they lack just about everything, they continue to improvise in order to help as many people as possible. The experience of working in a different culture and training our African colleagues is so enriching we wouldn’t want to miss our ‘working holidays’ for anything!” says Dr. Guido Verstraete (Burkina Faso).
“It is unbelievable that someone who lives and works in Europe is willing to come here and work next to me to help clean up our mess,” says Kigali-based Dr. Emmanuel Twagirayezu.
How it all started
When Dr. Frans De Weer and Dr. Johan Mattelaer were on holiday in Cameroon in 1980, Dr. Kilema came up with a more useful way to spend their time: “Why don’t you operate on polio children instead of coming here on holiday?” Touched by the reality of African hospitals, the surgeon and urologist thought: “Why not?”.
The following year, MWV went on its first mission. Since then it has grown to a team of 400 doctors and nurses who work in Africa during their holidays for free. A team of volunteers usually comprises of a surgeon-specialist, an anesthetist and a nurse. Currently, MWV has missions in Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia. Says Jan Goossens, Director MWV: “We opt for short missions of two weeks to a month. During these missions we pass on our knowledge and experience to our African colleagues. We also send equipment needed by hospitals to provide care for its patients.”
Providing medical assistance costs a lot of money
MWV teams work for free but their expenses are paid. Private donors, governments, international organisations, companies or foundations provide much-needed funding. The approximately 22,000 Belgians who support MWV with their donations and bequests are essential to ensure there is money to offer help and to send medical equipment. Approximately 70% (€1.5m) of the NGO’s income comes from private donations. If you wish to make a donation please do so to bank account no 733-1000100-60. For further information on MWV operations see the website at www.azv.be.
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