Amôlê- Medical Volunteering Project

Two students, one dream! We will be in a 6-week internship in Hospital das Neves, in São Tomé e Príncipe. With us, we’ll take medical material and medicines. For that purpose, we’re counting on everybody’s support. Help us to Help São Tomé e Príncipe.

We are two 4^th year med students at University of Minho in Portugal. On an academic context, we are planning an internship as volunteers at Hospital das Neves in São Tomé and Principe, for a duration of about 5 to 6 weeks, beginning in July of the current year.

This entirely individual project is the result of a dream of two 21-year-old students. Since then, our main goals have been to work towards a bigger cause. We aim to take some of the knowledge we acquired with us and put it into practice while using it to help and teach others to do the same. We dream about the development of Healthcare among the population of the region of Lembá. But we also dream about learning… We want to learn as much as possible and in the best possible way.

As this project advanced, we were able to ensure a container to carry the material we could get. Since then, we started to fundraise hospital and medical material, as well as medication, in an attempt to improve the work conditions of the hospital and health centers in the region.

We aim to develop and promote the health of the population, intervene in more efficient and assertive ways in treatment and healthcare of the local citizens.

Currently, we are counting with some hospital material, but we want to take as much as possible.

Therefore, we are asking for your contribution to fundraise 500€, that will be used entirely to purchase medical equipment (such as blood pressure devices) and medication that we lack and to shipping expenses.

With you support, we can do even more, and we can make a real difference. Help us help São Tomé and Principe. Even 1€ can make difference, creating hundreds of smiles!

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About the author

Sabina Belchior Dantas de Azevedo, 21 years old, born in Viana do Castelo and currently living there. Attended high school at Escola Secundária de Santa Maria Maior, and applied for Med School in University of Minho after concluding the 12th grade. Nowadays, she dedicates most of her time to her studies, having been a volunteer in Cruz Vermelha for 6 months.

Catarina Marques Oliveira, 21 years old, born and resident in Braga. Attended high School in Colégio Dom Diogo, and applied to med School in University if Minho after concluding the 12^th grade. Nowadays, she dedicates most of her time to her studies, but also dedicating some of it to sports and volunteering work, having attended some congresses about the subject.

Two friends with a common dream: to be able to help and to seize the opportunity to do volunteering work in the medical field in a foreign and troubled country.

We want to do it for the unique experience while living in a whole new reality, different from everything we’ve seen so far. For the learning opportunity in quick response medical skills. For the enormous life lesson we are about to witness. For the prospect of sharing our own adventures and inspire others to do the same.

All these reasons, together with our will to help, to provide medical service and to promote and develop medical healthcare of the region, led us to this little adventure of ours, without any institutional support.

It is not only about healing and prescribing medication that this science is about. That’s what motivates us to our best, with our hearts filled with love and affection towards the people we are going to help, keeping in mind all those smiles that we will be able to see.

This will be our reward: to see the joy on the eyes of those that, not having much, live their happy and healthy lives.

Budget and due dates

The 500 € we are fundraising will be used accordingly to the following distribution:
- 250€ to the purchase of 3 blood pressure devices
- 200€ for the acquisition of medication
- 100€ for the acquisition of baby products
- 150€ for the container shipping expenses of the material gathered
The container shipping date is scheduled to the month of May, and we are expecting it to arrive during our internship.

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