Medical Expedition Blogs

Recalling my time aboard Jubilee Hope, it’s primarily memories of the people that I shared those two weeks with that I carry with me. A diverse group of people who warmly welcomed a stranger into their midst, who embodied what it is to truly live and work as an effective team. A team where each member had a clearly defined role yet all willingly chose to pitch in to help and support to achieve that which needed to be done; cleaning, caring, translating, attending to late night emergencies. It was so refreshing and encouraging to work along side those who…

The last time I saw Forth Hope, she was departing Rosyth for her epic voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. It was a truly special moment when I caught my first glimpse of her on the Puinahua river as we approached after 3 hours in the speedboat. The contrast of this modern vessel and the surrounding area she serves is striking; she is unique, unlike anything else we saw on the river. Upon boarding you soon realise there is even more to her than meets the eye. The ingenious design of the interiors helps her feel as though she is a…

(By Dr Julia McLean) I have just returned after working for 2 weeks on Jubilee Hope on Lake Victoria in Tanzania which was an amazing and very rewarding experience. There were 3 doctors (including a very experienced Vine Trust volunteer) and a pharmacist from Scotland and as soon as we arrived we were made to feel very welcome on the boat. Before commencing work, we were given a tour of the boat and an introduction to tropical medicine by Dr Simeon, the national doctor, which proved to be indispensable. On the boat, we consulted upstairs under a canopy. We saw…

Vine Trust volunteer, Dr Jenny Langdon, speaks to BBC Radio Berkshire's Anne Diamond about the Jubilee Hope programme on Lake Victoria, Tanzania. Listen to Jenny's interview: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04hd0qm

Like me, you may have worked on board Amazon Hope in Peru and then booked on to Jubilee Hope, Tanzania, with a sense of curiosity about how the programme could work in a different country and culture. I was setting out with a friend who had been with me to Amazon Hope twice before, and 2 others who were completely new to Vine Trust. We had been informed that it would be different to, and much busier than, Amazon Hope. The staff gave us a really good introduction on our first evening on board, although we were all a bit…

Ronald Kebaso is one of the key healthworkers in Vine Trust's Jubilee Hope Medical Programme. Here, Ronald talks to the team about his time with Vine Trust, and the importance of the Jubilee Hope Medical Programme to the vulnerable communities on the islands and shores of Lake Victoria, Tanzania. “Prior to joining the Jubilee Hope Programme, I worked as a nursing officer in different health facilities in Nairobi, Kenya. They included health centres and referral hospitals from 1998 to 2008. I moved to Tanzania in 2008 to work with AICT, the national partner in Tanzania for the Jubilee Hope Programme. I mainly…