Mark Carman recently embarked on a trip to Malawi, Africa on a VIP Medical Trip. His experience working with a mother in Malawi left him inspired.
I did not know what to expect of a medical trip to Malawi with VIP, even though I had visited Malawi with VIP previously on a friendship trip. The trip was far more involved and personally rewarding than I ever expected. I was assigned to work in triage, primarily taking temperatures, weights, and looking for symptoms of serious illness to expedite.
Yet the single most rewarding experience was meeting a young girl named Violet who suffers with cerebral palsy. Her clinician recommended a jog stroller, and I was asked to deliver and instruct on its use. I explained the features and use of the stroller to the overwhelmed mother and then had the mother repeat the actions.
We folded and unfolded.
Applied and released brakes.
Reclined the seat and used the safety strap.
We then put Violet in the stroller and the mother began to realize the tremendous burden which had been lifted from her both physically and emotionally.
Later I saw her outside of the clinic showing other mothers her great gift. In this moment I truly felt that I was sharing in the experience of making a difference. In the end I know that I received more from the people of Malawi than I ever could have contributed.
To learn more about visiting Malawi yourself, checkout the latest Friendship Trip & Medical Trip dates here.