My encounter with Africa
I wasn't sure what to expect from this trip. I was full of doubts when I left: would I like Africa? Was I ready for this adventure? Would I be up to the task? So, I boarded that plane with many questions; many questions, yes, but with one great certainty: I was about to embark on an important journey, I was about to take part in something big that would leave its mark and change me. And so it was.
My name is Elena, I am 23 years old, I study medicine, and I have always wanted to go to Africa. Africa has always fascinated me with its mysterious appeal, and when I had the opportunity at university to learn about global health and international cooperation, I decided to pursue a medical experience in Africa. So, when I discovered P.A.C.E. Onlus and its work in Uganda, I jumped at the chance! In August 2016, I took part in the P.A.C.E. Onlus mission to Kyatiri, a small village in the heart of Uganda, together with a team of volunteer doctors and nurses from the association. We were hosted at the Kyatiri Health Center, the small dispensary where P.A.C.E.'s healthcare projects are active. Working alongside the team of volunteers and local staff at the facility, I was able to witness clinical practice without advanced equipment, without technology, without laboratories. I was able to experience firsthand what it means to be a doctor in Africa, what it means to be a medical volunteer, and how much can be done, even with a small contribution. I assisted in my first delivery and examined a two-year-old child for the first time. I learned so much from this experience, thanks also to those who accompanied and supported me. But during this mission, I not only expanded my medical knowledge; I took home something much greater, something I will always carry with me. Meeting the local people, the immense humanity hidden behind those indecipherable and mysterious eyes, the songs, the dances, Sunday mass, the warm welcome, Africa and its cultures, its contradictions, its scents and colors: an infinity of little things, impossible to explain, that fill your heart and bring a smile to your face. And when, at the end of the mission, at the airport entrance, I turned to look at the congested traffic of the sun-drenched capital, once again I carried a certainty in my heart: that it would not be a goodbye, but only a see you later.
Elena Cadone Ughi
Volunteer August 2016