Stories

Deborah Kingston

Name:Deborah Kingston
Institution:University of Southampton
Country:Southampton,England
I arrived in Ghana in September 2011- after hearing about BLUE-MED and the great work they do the year before. I was apprehensive about going with a small organisation at first, but I could not have been more wrong! From the start Richard and this team were great- from answering emails quickly (no matter how silly my enquiry seemed) to making me feel part of the BLUE-MED family while I was there. Nothing was too much for them, they made me feel safe and welcome throughout.

Laura from Jerferson Medical School

The time I spent in Ghana with Blue Med Africa was unforgettable to say the least. Richard and the rest of the staff are extremely friendly, and I saw a dedication to their community in them that is admirable, inspiring, and hard to come by. As a medical student, Blue Med Africa truly offered each part of an international trip that I was hoping for - time in the hospital, community outreach, and travel on the weekends! Richard and his team worked with each student to tailor the program to what he/she was really interested in and always kept us busy, whether it was bandaging wounds at the cured lepers' village, playing with the children at the orphanage, or shadowing in the hospital - we were always doing something and going somewhere!

Matthew Eng

Name: Matthew Eng
Institution: University of Notre Dame
Country:USA

I spent 3 months with Blue-Med Africa between college and graduate school in 2011. During my stay I was able to volunteer at the local hospital, veterinary clinic, orphanage and school. These diverse experiences allowed me to see so many facets of Ghanian life and meet many amazing people. I found my stay to be an insightful and candid learning experience. While impelled by the idea to make a difference, after three months I was humbled after witnessing how a lack of basic care can cause suffering, but also the resiliency and kindness shown by Ghanians.

Ezra Margolin

Name: Ezra Margolin
Institution: Columbia College of Physicians & Surgeons
Country:USA

My experience working with Blue-Med was exciting, eye-opening, and inspiring. It was exciting to travel half way around the world to a continent I had never been before. It was eye-opening to see a culture completely different from my own -- in language, race, religion, diet, and art. I climbed mountains, hiked to waterfalls, bought West African clothes, ate banku, and fed bananas to monkeys. I saw rural communities that were undeveloped and impoverished, with little access to food and no access to medical care. It was inspiring to see the positive impact that Blue-Med had on these people's lives.

Katherine Ferguson

Name: Katherine Ferguson
Institution: Auburn University
Country:USA

Only 17 years old and I had no idea what was in store for me as I made my way to Ho, Ghana to work with Blue Med Africa. What I found there was God fearing, world loving people who were looking to make a difference in their community. The mornings were spent in the local hospital attending to patients, learning about the Ghanaian medical system, and sitting in on multiple surgeries. Each afternoon held a new adventure. We raised funds in school back in the States to build a washroom for a children's school in Ho.

Christian Hole

Name: Christian Hole
Institution: Swansea University
Country:USA

The time I spent in Ho, Ghana with Blue-Med Africa was fruitful both educationally and culturally. It was my first time in Africa and Blue-Med made sure our experience was both safe and rewarding. The visits to local villages gave me my first experience of recording vital signs such as taking a patient’s blood pressure and in helping dispense much needed medicines to the villagers. Gaining medical experience was a priority to me; the visit was arranged by my hometown university as part of our Medical Science degree. Blue-med enabled us to be involved in a medical capacity in the community while providing supervision, information and guidance along the way.

Monali Patel

Name: Monali Patel
Institution: Monmouth University
Country:USA

Prior to my trip to Ghana, I was nervous and unsure of what to expect out of my journey. After having worked with Blue-Med Africa and traveling to Ho, I can easily say that it was one of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences of my life. From playing with soccer with children at the orphanages to shadowing physicians at the local hospital and even wrapping wounds at a cured Leper’s village,