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Volunteer Report: No. 2 |
REPORT #2 by Ben & Jerry Srode
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INTERNATIONAL HEALTH & DEVELOPMENT NETWORK FAMILY AFFAIR OCCURED AS BEN & JERRY - A 'FATHER & SON' TEAM - WERE INTRODUCED TO AGBOZUME VILLAGE ABOUT THE VOLUNTEERS: Father - BEN STRODE Brief Biography: SON - Jerry Strode is a Registered Vascular Technologist as well as a Registered Nurse [RN] at Doctor's Hospital, Springfield, Illinois, U.S.A. Married for 22 years to wife, Lorraine, who is also an RN. They have two children, Brandon and Britney. Other community involvement: Together with his father, Ben, Jerry helped start the ambulance service at Carlinville, Illinois. Youth leader with High school. Soccer coach for YMCA girls' team FATHER - Ben Strode retired after 30 plus years as Emergency Medical Trainer-I at Carlinville Area Hospital, Illinois, USA has been counselor for Premier Boys' State for 40 years. Has multiple citizen awards BRIEF SUMMARY OF VOLUNTEER INVOLVEMENT & EXPERIENCE: Spent three weeks in Agbozume, Ghana at the 3rd medical missions trip. Worked at the medical clinic with the medical director, Dr. Sefenu. Taught Health Science classes every day. Used videotapes, books and lectures to teach everything from anatomy, physiology to STD prevention. Also, taught: (1) how to do ECG's with a machine donated to IHDN. (2) simple vital signs and blood pressure, as well as advanced assessment skills using bi-directional Doppler ultrasound machine donated to IHDN. (3) CPR and some simple first aid for trauma victims. Quotable quotes: "Wasn't sure I [Jerry] was ready to go on a medical mission trip when I was approached two years ago. However, I made the decision when my father [Ben] decided to go as well….Excitement grew as time got closer and closer…. to leave for Ghana…. We had told our families and between us , raised the funds to cover the costs of the trip - shots, flight, etc…[With only three weeks in Agbozume]... There was so much to teach and so little time but every student passed our 50 question final exam. We were so proud of them. They all worked hard… It was a great trip especially helping set up and run the pharmacy during the Health Fair……[also] starting IV's and giving emergency medications to the critically ill….. at the health fair…. It was a great experience working with my earthly father ..for my 'Heavenly Father' so to speak….We [both father and son] made a great team and would definitely go back in a heartbeat.. I loved all the people we met and miss my new friends. If we could afford to go this year,… we would go tomorrow. My [Jerry] daughter, Britney, was so impressed by our trip…[she] wants to go on the next one. We have not been able to contain our excitement about….Ghana. I know I have spoken to several churches…. as well as social groups, scouts, the Legion, clubs, family, friends at work [hospitals], and still have more talks to give. .. Just got invited to another church in Canton, Illinois to speak about our…trip during the Missions Month.. Father-Son vision for the future: "May be .....go this year again…..[if not]…next year, for sure….Will take more soccer balls, though,…." FYI - We are sorry to disappoint you for getting to the wrong web page. This team is NOT about the 'Ice Cream - Ben and Jerry- Family' from New Jersey, USA. This is about dedicated volunteers, a father-son team, from Springfield, Illinois, USA
BRIEF SUMMARY OF VOLUNTEER INVOLVEMENT & EXPERIENCE: Doug Dockter taught the Computer Science course in Ghana at the 1999 medical missions trip. The course included the basics of computer hardware components, operating systems, and application programs (WordPerfect for DOS, Excel, and Word). A diverse group of 21 men and women, ages 16 to 32, enrolled for this course. About 50% of them had little prior exposure to computers. Despite difficulties such as language barriers, which were resolved with help from students who acted as translators, Doug had an uplifting experience. Quotable quotes: "I was pleased with the result of the training....It was rewarding to see the excitement in the students' eyes as they learned new skills and gained confidence in their abilities.......I was impressed at their commitment to learn, ....overwhelmed at their..appreciation of me for teaching them...I thank God for the privilege of serving them" Doug's vision for the future: He plans to return to teach keyboarding skills as well as computer applications.
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