Midwives Marnie Griffiths and Lauren Harrison recently experienced a life-changing volunteer mission to Uganda with the Global First Responder Program (GFR) where they delivered primary healthcare in a setting far removed from the comforts of home.
The midwives found themselves navigating a complex mix of emotions; a deep sadness at the harsh realities faced by Ugandans, yet moments of joy in the resilience, gratitude and humour of the people they met.
“People are still living in conditions we saw on TV during the African famines that shocked the world 20 or 30 years ago,” Lauren said. “It was heartbreaking to see children surviving on just a cup of watery porridge each day in 2024.”
Marnie recalled how hundreds of locals walked for hours and lined up to seek care from the medical team.
“The organisation told us to take a lunch break no matter how busy we were," she said. "We found out later that for some volunteers, lunch is the only meal they'd eat all day.”
Lauren shared the challenges of cases where there were no treatments available.
"Explaining to a mother that there is no cure for her child's condition was incredibly difficult,” she said. "Watching her strap her disabled son on to her back and walk away, in the rain, with nothing -those moments were the hardest."
Amid the adversity, there were also lighter moments.
“The trip began with us being held up at the border because a customs officer was concerned that we were bringing medications into the country without the correct paperwork.
“After some persistence, he allowed us through with 100kg of donated medical supplies.”
She also recalled some light-hearted experiences with patients including a pregnant woman expecting twins who didn’t tell her - just to see if she figured it out.
From a health perspective, the trip highlighted significant gaps in women's health literacy. While English language is excellent in Uganda, there are widespread misconceptions about reproductive health.
"Many women didn’t know that a child grows in the uterus, or that the cervix remains closed during pregnancy," Marnie said. “One of the most heartwarming moments was when an elderly gentleman walked for kilometres and waited patiently, just to thank us for looking after his family and the care they received.”
Both midwives returned from the trip and made a commitment to travel with Global First Responder Program again and have already booked to go to the Philippines with the organisation in February.
You can donate to Marnie and Lauren’s Global First Responder pages online.