Suzanna Sherer |
| Country of Service |
| Lesotho (2005-2007), Ethiopia (2007-2008) |
| Dates Served |
| 2005 - 2008 |
| Volunteer Position |
| HIV/AIDS, Community Health Volunteer |
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| Description of main volunteer activities: |
In Lesotho I lived in Thabang, a rural village in Mokhotlong district. My primary activities involved teaching health and HIV lessons to high school students, out-of-school girls groups, and HIV support groups. I also worked with the Ministry of Health to design Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT of HIV) materials for nurses and health centers, and assited with the creation of a Community Health Worker training manual. I helped with record keeping and organization at the HIV clinic, and developed a voucher system for a local NGO to provide fresh butchery meat to malnourished HIV affected families. In my village I organized a vegetable seed-buying cooperative and spent many hours working in the community and orphan gardens.
In Ethiopia, my town Mojo was on what they call the HIV "high risk corridor" - the trucking route from the capital of Addis Ababa to the port of Djibouti. Again, I did a lot of teaching: HIV lessons to college level nursing students, high school classes, girls groups, and English to primary students. I also worked to link up a government health center to a Maternal and Child Health faith based clinic. Pregnant women at the faith based clinic are now getting tested for HIV, and newly diagnosed women are hand-in-hand introduced to HIV-positive mentor mothers, where they receive ongoing counseling on positive living topics like PMTCT, HIV drugs, safer sex, nutrition, and partner disclosure. |
| How Peace Corps service influenced decision to go into nursing and future plans: |
| Even before joining the Peace Corps I knew I wanted to be a nurse. However, through my service I saw the importance and need for activism in nursing. Nurses know better than almost anyone else in the community what is needed and what will work. None of the places I worked had any physicians, they were all run by nurses. The good nurses worked incredibly hard and were phenomenal movers and shakers in their field. Unfortunately, low wages and under-resourced facilities also made many nurses feel apathetic and devalued. People were always shocked to learn I was proud to become a nurse, but I would explain to them, that in America, nurses were respected and well-compensated members of the health care team, and that through further education, commitment, and activism, maybe someday it can be that way in their country too. |
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