I am ready and rearing to go and have jumped ship! Don Stephens the Founder of Mercy Ships has informed the crew that the M/V Africa Mercy will not be ready until late October 2006 due to construction work delays. Because of this latest news it has been decided to utilize the M/V Anastasis for the first outreach in Ghana (West Africa) beginning in June. I will take on the role of the Operating Room Manager on board and then transfer to M/V Africa Mercy when it arrives in Ghana in November 2006.
This is a good thing as I get to gently settle into the role on the M/V Anastais which I have previously worked on. If you have been on a ship you will know that it has endless corridors and staircases that seem like a labyrinth. Fortunately I know my way around so that will be one advantage!
In the meantime I have been organizing medical supplies in Auckland. Two companies have generously donated vital sterilization equipment, Mercer Medical with the Tosi Washer/Disinfector Indicators and 3M New Zealand with an Electronic Test System (ETS).
The ETS is a stand alone test device for the measurement of the physical parameters of a steam sterilization cycle. It is important to make sure the sterilizers are functioning properly before putting through instruments which will be used in operations. This will take the Operating Room Department to a new technical level ensuring patient safety.
In December 2005 and February 2006 I was invited to speak at Waitakere College my former school in West Auckland. Having read about my Vodafone New Zealand Foundation World of Difference Award they asked me to address the students on leadership, motivation and setting goals. It was a fantastic opportunity to inspire the next generation and bring awareness of the Charity.
Recently the students had a mufti day and raised some funds for a second Electronic Test System which will be used for one of the sterilizers on board the ship. It was a great donation and I sincerely thank them for their efforts.
This month I attended an Advanced Cardiac Life Support Course with Auckland University to solidify my knowledge of CPR procedures. It is a requirement as a Registered Nurse to complete this training each year to keep your skills relevant.
My departure date has not been confirmed as I am waiting for final arrangements to be made at the Africa Mercy office in Newcastle, UK.
Kylie
The month started with a hiss and a roar.The first week was spent in Auckland doing a media interview with Shine TV a radio interview and a newspaper story. A quick trip to New Plymouth to make some contacts then back to Auckland for a fabulous Vodafone World of Difference event which was thoroughly appreciated. And made me realise how privileged I am.
A lot of this month has been spent doing necessary administration to allow us to grow in the future – necessary evils like preparing accounts for the accountant to make financial reports, GST returns. Getting our Data Base properly set up so we can communicate with sponsors efficiently, and .make growing our work possible. There has been groups to speak to a school and a group of ladies and always lots of queries and individuals to connect with.
We started working on a Trade Me charity auction to be in place at the end of April and working with volunteers who can do a lot of the work for this.
And last but not least thanks to the Vodafone team we booked and paid for our trip to Romania and Russia for July and part of August. Hoping to have some other projects on the go at that stage. Believe it or not but planning a trip is quite a major exercise we are still working on a lot of the details.
On a personal note our youngest son Daniel started school a major milestone and for me and Orphans Aid and our whole family a giant step forward in being able to give the focus we need to seeing lives changed.
The photo is two little girls we are hoping to see taken from the hospital and placed in the care of our home. They currently live in a hospital not far from the home.
I have spent this month juggling admin time with time in the RDA Groups and a juggle it has been. I am setting up training resources that will be used country wide while also trying to work “hands on” with as many groups as I can. Eleven out of twenty-five Groups in Area One have already invited my input and its only term one. Oh Boy!
I have been to five groups several times following certain cases with volunteers, to help them apply a therapeutic process with a manageable no’ of clients, and the results are speaking for themselves. Volunteers are becoming more confident with the evidence that shows that they really are making a difference. Also the quality assurance reviews have helped them to examine their present situation and they are looking at ways of making the most of their opportunities and resources to develop their services. Feedback like “I finally feel we are on the right track” affirms my belief that this is what Groups really needed.
I am following some cases myself to model the benefits of using a recognized process of care and to demonstrate to Groups what the role of a therapist can be. Hopefully this will encourage Groups to invite other therapists outside RDA to work with them and share in their client’s journeys.
NZRDA’s formal training has begun at last. I teamed up with a coach in Hamilton and ran the first of a series of courses for student coaches. Twenty-one participated and I was thrilled to hear that the students came away saying things like: “The horses really should be allowed get on with the therapy, shouldn’t they?” Music to my ears, because the horse is definitely one of the therapists at RDA!
I have tried to access as much current information as possible to bring evidence based practice to groups and apart from a lot of reading, I’ve also been able to attend some valuable workshops, thanks to the Vodafone Foundation.
One with Volunteering Auckland, about making our organization a “Volunteer Magnet”, which I plan to share with RDA presidents from Groups across NZ at President’s Day in Wellington at the end of May.
I also attended a Volunteer Facilitators Course with fellow trainers to improve the way we are delivering training and look forward to applying the principles in my own workshops and courses.
My special thanks to Kate, a Senior Coach, who spent the weekend with our existing coaches to assess and help them identify gaps in their knowledge and pathways for their learning (something many of them had given up on). All were encouraged by being shown how to update their skills and are looking forward to doing more training. This kind of enthusiasm is infectious and I anticipate will have knock-on effects in the Groups who are beginning to get thirsty for more information on how best to serve our riders. Hooray!
