Dublin granny volunteers for epic challenge

A RETIRED health care worker has departed on an Ethiopian adventure that will see her work as a hospital administrator in the African country.

Former HSE Health Manager, Ann Brennan, a grandmother from Killiney, has set off on her 12-month visit to the country with VSO Ireland.

“It’s not as simple as just sending more doctors and nurses overseas,

? she said of her new role as a VSO volunteer in Ethiopia.

“You need to look at the whole picture and make sure it all fits together.

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Ann will spend the year with the global international development organisation as a hospital administrator in Hawassa in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region of Ethiopia.

In Ethiopia, 10,000 women die as a result of complications during pregnancy on average, and 135,000 babies die before their first birthday every year.

VSO volunteers, from medicine, nursing and health management, work together to develop long-lasting and sustainable solutions to these horrific challenges.

Having retired from St Michael’s Hospital, Dun Laoghaire as their Quality and Risk Manager, Ann decided to volunteer overseas and to share her skills and experiences with VSO.

“I met VSO at the Irish Aid Volunteering Fair last October and I was struck by their passion and how well organised they were,

? she said.

“There is a fantastic amount of positive work taking place in the Ethiopian health system at present. VSO is leading the way in improving maternal and paediatric care and my role, in Hawassa, is to ensure that the hospital runs as efficiently and effectively as possible to enable the medical and nursing staff do what needs to be done to reduce needless deaths.

“The difference between VSO and other organisations is the special focus on training and mentoring. I could go out and do the job but who would replace me when I returned to Ireland?’

“I’ll know my placement has been a success if and when there isn’t a need for another volunteer to replace me. This is something I have always wanted to do. It’s not going to be easy but I am confident that progress can and will be made.

?

Megan Munsell, VSO Ireland Executive Director, said volunteers, together with local partners in countries like Ethiopia are having a significant impact in reducing needless deaths.

“And equally important, our volunteers help establish and embed sustainable solutions to address these health challenges for the long term.

“Over the past two years, volunteers supported by Irish Aid have successfully reduced neo-natal mortality rates in target hospitals by 66 per cent, ensuring that thousands of families don’t endure the trauma of losing a child.

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VSO Ireland is an international development organisation that works through volunteers to fight poverty.

Through the placement of skilled, professional volunteers in over 30 countries in Africa and Asia, VSO fights both the causes and effects of poverty