‘Preparing to volunteer’ VSO training week in Birmingham

In grey and drizzly Birmingham this week for P2V ‘Preparing to volunteer’ VSO training.

I’m with girls and boys heading off to:

• The Philippines (to project manage ISO type accreditation of a hospital on one of 18,000 islands and run an audit)
• Cameroon (a couple + 18 month baby, both volunteers going to do organisational development)
• Uganda (I’ve met Olivia who I’ll be travelling with and she’s going to be working with deaf children Sarah! (My sister Sarah is deaf).
• Kenya (one volunteer has worked with Kenya Wildlife Service so lots of networking to be done!)
• Vietnam (former accountant lady)
• India
• Malawi (gorgeous tall Rasta! Ayurvedic teacher)
• Nepal (there’s a 2 month language programme before you even start the job)

We’re all very excited of course!

Yesterday we discussed Health, Safety and Security and had a whole PowerPoint presentation on diarrhoea! The session was run by a nurse who’s done VSO in Namibia and Malawi, and has nursed people with malaria and rabies so we really have had the insider view. We’ve been taught how to clean water (filter / boil / chemicals) and discussed the use of Femidons vs condoms and how to use Moon Cups! Male readers may want to Google at this point! (Or log off …)

Had an early night (we finished training at 9 pm) then up for a run through the drizzly murk. We (approx 25 of us) are all staying in Harborne Hall, an old convent I believe. It’s lovely, like being back at boarding school (PHC girls I was thinking of you last night!)