Karen Lund reports that a group of second year students has come up with a plan that during every semester break (following exams) they would stay a week in one of their local villages. While there they would conduct community health assessments and health teaching sessions. They plan to go in rotating groups of 4-5 nursing students along with an intern doctor. The visits would take in areas where one of the group has a family network for infrastructure support and local credibility. This group includes both Bengali and Nepali students with hopes that the plan may someday include their Nepalese villages as well.
Karen comments, “This is a milestone! It is the first time our students have come to me with their own well thought-out plan for volunteer service. Our years of teaching compassionate care seem to be bearing fruit at last. It has been our goal to see attitudes change so that our graduates eventually lead nursing, reaching out to develop humanitarian initiatives in their home countries. I’m still idealistic enough to think this might be the start of the sea change. Thanks so very much to all the volunteers who have led by example and given our students confidence in themselves !!”