Dear Friends,
In education of any sort, it is often difficult to see immediate (or even short-term) results. It is a field that requires time to learn new skills, develop new behaviors, and change perceptions and understandings. It is analogous to planting a seed and not realizing for quite some time how far the branches will extend.
In 2015, as part of a USAID-funded project to provide continuing education to Rwandan physical therapists, HVO volunteers conducted a course in pediatric therapy. The volunteers who taught the course worked alongside two Rwandan co-teachers, and helped them develop their skills so they would then be able to teach the material. One of those teachers was Inès Musabyemariya, a dynamic young woman who, outside of her day job at a clinic for children, had organized a group of mothers of children with disabilities into a crafts group. In her free time, she was marketing the women’s products so they would have funds to assist with care for their children. That was a clear sign that Inès was a determined woman!
Not one to sit idly, Inès approached HVO last year with a request to conduct a follow-up survey of the pediatric course participants. She worked closely with Monika Mann (the Project Coordinator for the grant project) and Meng Xiong, HVO’s Evaluation Coordinator, to develop a survey and an implementation plan. Of the 66 course participants, 65% completed the survey. Of those, 95% stated that, two years later, they still incorporated ideas and techniques from the course into their everyday practice. 77% indicated that their treatment had changed very much as a result of the training, and 23% said it had changed “quite a bit.” The survey results were a gratifying acknowledgement of the impact of education and training.
As for Inès, in the two years since she served as a co-teacher for the course, she applied for HVO’s
Wyss Scholarship for Future Leaders in Global Health
to participate in an 8-week course in India on neurodevelopment therapy, to better serve her young patients. Last year, she was approved for another Wyss Scholarship to attend the World Confederation for Physical Therapists, to learn and share with fellow therapists from across the globe. These are the branches that are flourishing as a result of the seeds of knowledge planted three years ago!
At the end of a volunteer assignment, it may not be obvious what impact has been made but, often, the seed just needs a bit of time to germinate and bloom.
We’re taking a bit of time ourselves, and will take a break from sending the
Net Connection
in August. We have some ideas that are germinating, and we’ll be back with a revamped monthly newsletter in September.
Have a relaxing summer!
Sincerely,
Nancy
Nancy A. Kelly, MHS
Executive Director
