Interview: Volunteering in South Sudan: creating partnerships, making a difference

Abstract

South Sudan, the world’s newest country, faces diverse and complex challenges following decades of civil war. The current conflict has worsened the situation even further. This is particularly profound in the health sector, where scarcity of resources and personnel has left millions of people without basic medical care.

Since independence in 2011, individuals, teams and organisations from around the world have partnered with the South Sudanese to make healthcare more accessible. Their efforts bring much needed relief to communities while providing local medics with opportunities to learn and network. For volunteers, working in unfamiliar, resource-poor settings carries inherent difficulties. Despite this, many have discovered that the challenge of doing more with less can be educational, exciting and incredibly rewarding.

I spoke with Martin Michel, a general surgical registrar in Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, UK. In November 2017, he was part of a volunteer trip to Juba with St. Paul Medical Missions. I asked him about their experiences and what advice he would give to those considering volunteering in South Sudan. These excerpts have been edited for length and clarity.