Logan Midwife Marnie Griffiths is anticipating a life-changing experience when she travels to Uganda to deliver vital healthcare services later this year.
Marnie will travel to the East-African community of Lugazi to provide primary health care as a volunteer with the Global First Responder Program (GFR).
Alongside 13 other volunteers, Marnie will conduct daily health clinics where it is expected as many as 200 locals will travel hours on foot or bicycle to attend each day.
“Our patients will include the very elderly, pregnant women and newborn babies, as well as a one-day clinic where we expect to screen 350 school children,” she said.
“During these general health checks, we will aim to identify and treat conditions such as malnutrition, fungal skin infections, injuries and wounds."
Marnie said the inspiration for the trip was her colleague and friend Lauren Harrison who had also been selected to join the small group on the week-long journey this July.
The pair said they shared a mutual desire to make a meaningful impact to the lives of others and were excited by the opportunity to deliver some women's health clinics and education sessions on topics such as personal hygiene, reproductive health, and nutrition for pregnancy and postpartum.
“We will also each be partnered with a student from the local school of nursing and midwifery, so I am looking forward to hearing about their role in healthcare in Uganda and sharing my knowledge and experience with them,” Marnie said.
Although no stranger to the world of volunteering, Marnie said she expected this trip to be vastly different to her other experiences.
The midwife of 28 years chose to link in with GFR because they partnered with a local NGO in Uganda and focused not just on sustainability but also education and longer-term health improvement.
“As volunteers we not only donate our time but also fund and acquire all necessary medical equipment, including thermometers, blood pressure monitors, N95 masks, gloves, scrubs, pulse oximeters, and educational resources required for the trip,” she said.
Marnie and Lauren have started fundraising to offset the cost of the trip and resources and said they would love to raise enough money to purchase maternity equipment to gift to local health providers when they leave.
The pair said every donation brought them closer to achieving their goal and changing the lives of the less fortunate.