Cambridge Global Health Partnerships offers grants to individuals engaging in global health volunteering. CUH Resuscitation Officer, Margaret Baron is a two-time recipient of the grant scheme.
Over the past 2 years, these grants have enabled Margaret to return to her home country of the Philippines, in order to engage in a variety of voluntary global health activities. Here we look back Margaret’s visits in 2018 and in late 2019.
As a Resuscitation Trainer and Nurse, Margaret came to CGHP with a wealth of previous global health related experience. In 2018, Margaret embarked on a dementia awareness campaign which, while lasting only a few days, had a resounding impact on the community of Dolores, Eastern Samar. Margaret noted that the disease is often misunderstood in the Philippines, and is often believed to be a fundamental part of ageing.
The trip had a significant impact, both at home and away. In the Philippines her work marked a monumental step toward boosting understanding and breaking down the stigma surrounding dementia. Fundamental to CGHP is the bilateral exchange of knowledge and experiences, both exported internationally, and brought home to us here in Cambridge. Margaret stated that she would continue to share her experiences and sense of fulfillment with her fellow staff at CUH.
Over a year on, Margaret remains firmly committed to global health work, having recently returned to the Philippines to deliver a training session on life support and emergency management of deteriorating patients. The training was well received by the Filipino nurses of Samar Provincial Hospital. Margaret reported,
“[staff attending training expressed] deep gratitude to CGHP for supporting volunteers like me in reaching out in every little way we can. They have great appreciation as well for the standards of training CUH have, and they aspire to learn from our best practices”.
Moving forwards, she plans to continue working with Samar Provincial Hospital, advising on the development of emergency protocols and equipment. Since returning home, Margaret has also had time to reflect on the deep personal impact of the visit,
“On my return, my fellow resuscitation officers expressed how passionate I am towards teaching, for going beyond borders to impart learnings. They have expressed how lucky and privileged our nursing professionals are here in the UK for being well-supported with training and development”.
If you are interested in global health or want to learn more about the grant scheme, contact Cambridge Global Health Partnerships: cghp@act4addenbrookes.org.uk
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