This summer I interned and volunteered at an NGO called EMFERD (the Erick Memorial Foundation for Education and Rehabilitation of the Disabled). This organization focuses in raising awareness to the community in Morogoro, Tanzania about the discrimination that families with disabled children face in their society. One of the mission of the NGO is to make sure that the children get access to proper education and rehabilitation care. I would say that my followership began here as a lot of the work included me learning on site and developing new skills fro my new experiences. I mainly shadowed Mama Josephine Bakhita who is the main founder of the oganization and learnt from her about the organization history ad why she chose to be a social worker.
An image of me and Katie (another volunteer) playing with children while parents were in a workshop
I was able to lead on the side by making sure that the children at the center learn something new everyday like reading and writing or any new educational songs. In my experience I was able to observe the basic need of these wonderful and energetic children and was able to provide food and school supplies for them. Another example of me leading from the side was when I started going to a health center to learn how to do physiotherapy on physically disabled children. There I developed some new observation skills of different disabilities which helped communicate well to the parents when asking them questions from health referrals. I was also able to make home visits and inquire from parents living in the villages about the main challenges they face in their community.
An image of me and some of the children at EMFERD who are suffering from mental disability
The idea of me leading from the side includes me being an advocate for disabled children in my community by raising awareness about the different challenges they face and persuading medical professionals to visit more remote areas to administer service to people who need it the most. Throughout my years at Agnes I will continue to lead from the side to learn more about how heath organizations work and to they strive to make sure that everyone has access to proper health services.
