Meet Our Volunteers

HEATHER DUSEK
Age: 36
Gender: Female
Hometown: Winter Haven, FL.
Career: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Years of involvement: 5

1. What has been your role as a volunteer at Health Gives Hope?

Provider, with a focus in pediatric population.

2. What has been your most impactful experience as a volunteer and why?
On one trip we had two particular patients, one elderly and one infant, that both arrived to the clinic severely
dehydrated and ill. The team, as a whole, worked together to stabilize and provide medical attention to the individuals.
The first patient, the elderly women, recovered quickly with the administration of IV fluids. The second patient, the
infant, was more critical, and required closer monitoring and aggressive rehydration. Even after hours of rehydration,
the infant was still quite ill and not stable enough to safely travel home. The team worked together with the local
community and created a mobile transport team to take patients and family down to the team camp site. One of the
locals and I, along with two other medical personnel, provided around-the-clock care throughout the night and into
the following day. The infant made a turn for the better, in the middle of the night, with a significant recovery so that
the team felt comfortable allowing, the patient to safely return home with his mother and family. To know that I was
part of the team that likely saved that childs life in the remote mountains in Southern Ethiopian, an area that lacks
modern conveniences, has left a life-long impact on myself as an individual but also as a medical provider.

3. Why would you recommend that people become a volunteer for Health Gives Hope?
Health Gives Hope is a great non-profit organization that provides medical care to communities in a remote village
in Southern Ethiopia. The teams are able to provide health and education to many generations, and on each trip, the
impact from the previous medical trips is evident. Small but impactful changes are noticed with locals and how they
view their health and modern medicine. The organization encourages the integration of traditional medicine with
modern medicine. And while the area lacks modern convenience, the community welcomes the teams with open
arms and as if family, and the views are undeniably beautiful.

Life-long

impact...

4. Why would you recommend that people donate to Health Gives Hope?
There are many non profit organizations to choose from. But HGH is small organization with global goals that
have made significant impact and changes to local communities surrounding the clinic in Bora. In a short amount
of time, donations to the organization have already made impact to Bora and surrounding communities with the
construction of a free standing clinic, allowing the purchase of supplies and medications, and ability for two
medical teams to travel half way around the world to bring medical care.

5. How would you describe your volunteer experience in three words?

Life changing, amazing.

6. How would your life be different if you would have never become a volunteer?
I dont think I would have realized what impact that I can have on the world and how much a small community
could change me not only as a provider but as mother, wife, friend, and colleague. I wouldnt have met great
friends that I now consider family.

7. How do you think that Health Gives Hope is making an impact on the world?
The world may not realize who HGH is just yet, but for the communities HGH serves, they will forever be changed.
And with that, the generations to come will become healthier and strive for better conditions for not only
themselves but for future generations.

CAROL DOWNING
Age: 54
Gender: Female
Hometown: Ferndale, PA
Career: Registered nurse
Years of involvement: trips in 2014,
2015, & going back in 2017

1. What has been your role as a volunteer at Health Gives Hope?

As a Registered Nurse, I was able to give out medications from the pharmacy, serve as an intake nurse, taking
vital signs and ascertaining symptom information through an interpreter. I also enjoyed helping to prepare lunch
for other volunteers and playing games with the children .

2. What has been your most impactful experience as a volunteer and why?
A few come to mind. It was truly amazing to observe an elderly woman being carried up the mountain on a
handmade litter because she was unable to walk on her own due to dehydration and be able to walk out on her
own after a few hours of medications and fluids.
In April 2014, a woman came to the clinic with a life threatening goiter. HGH, with fundraising help through my
uncles church, Christ the King in Evans, Georgia, set her up with an operation and follow up care in Addis Ababa .
I had the opportunity to see her the following year, as she made her way to Bora, healthy and happy. I will never
forget her smile.
Witnessing the transformation of baby Israel.
Spending time with Awashi and her family, the best hosts Ive ever encountered.
Learning and participating in some of their singing and dancing traditions in Bora was a highlight for me. And of
course, the amazing Dejene family, who served as our guides and interpreters. They exude love and peace.

3. How would you describe your volunteer experience in three words?

Three words: educational, eye-opening, heartwarming.

4. How do you think that Health Gives Hope is making an impact on the world?
Health Gives Hope is an important organization. It is run by passionate, dedicated, amazing individuals. There is
absolutely no health care available to the residents of Bora, Ethiopia and neighboring communities. Only through
HGH have these lovely people begun to receive the care that they so deserve. The education they provide to
residents, will, in turn, begin the process for health to future generations there.

Educational,

eye-opening,

heartwarming.

BENJI MILANOWSKI
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Hometown: Winslow, AZ
Career: Registered nurse
Years of involvement: 2015 trip

1. What has been your role as a volunteer at Health Gives Hope?

I served as a nurse during the April 2015 medical trip.

2. What has been your most impactful experience as a volunteer and why?
The experience which impacted me the most was taking care of Baby Israel. He was 15 months old at the
time and came to the Hidota clinic with lethargy, nausea, and vomiting. Treatment began in the clinic and
continued all night long in a makeshift ICU in the village of Bora. In the morning baby Israel had
improved dramatically. Knowing that I was part of a team to accomplish is a memory I will cherish
forever. I have written up my experience with Health Gives Hope on my personal blog here: https://sleuthmilanowski.wordpress.com/2015/06/22/lessons-from-ethiopia/ You are free to use the written content
there. A few of the photos are mine (and youre free to use), but most of the photos were taken by our
pharmacists on the trip: Angie Prosser Edmonds and Jon Edmonds.

3. Why would you recommend that people become a volunteer for Health Gives Hope?
There are many great and glorious organizations a person could give his or her time to;
however, I was drawn to Health Gives Hope because of the inherent challenge. You are a part
of a small, motivated, caring team with limited resources and a plethora of patients. What are
you going to do so others may live well?

4. Why would you recommend that people donate to Health Gives Hope?
On my trip we treated toddlers, elderly, people with parasites, people with chronic conditions, people with
dehydration, infectious diseases, and more. People with these ailments, who would not normally receive
dynamite health care, were treated because of the generosity of others. It never ceases to amaze me how
small donations have a big impact.

5. How would you describe your volunteer experience in three words?

Rewarding, challenging, and entertaining. The first two words are closely related. There is a challenge; if it is
overcome you feel rewarded. Those sensations were experienced frequently on the trip. But the experience was so
much fun as well. The team, the patients, our guides were all so friendly and engaging. We laughed frequently. It
was phenomenal.

6. How would your life be different if you would have never become a volunteer?
I was reinvigorated by the experience. I was reminded why I wanted to become a nurse: I want to help people
by using science.

7. How do you think that Health Gives Hope is making an impact on the world?
Health Gives Hope is making an impact on the world by living up to its namesake; it is giving hope. As stated by
Anne Frank, Where theres hope, theres life. It fills us with fresh courage makes us strong again. How awesome is
it that Health Gives Hope is providing more than just healthcare, but courage and strength as well?

How
awesome
is it that

Health Gives Hope

is providing more than just healthcare, but

courage
strength
and

as well?