Our two most recent  volunteers at Missionvale are very able human beings, they have very often had to think on their feet! They both say that they’ve learned a lot. … despite all the knowledge they arrived with, what they know is not always relevant here, so they had to unlearn and re-learn. They did that. They’ve been wonderful, and also leave with a sense of accomplishment. Probably a very different achievement from what they expected, but impact indeed.

They were shocked, and very moved by what we work with here. We treat mouth thrush with fresh garlic. They could not believe this. Forget about expensive pills and potions. They both emphasised the need to be able to re learn, from a third world perspective, as being critical. Volunteers need to come with flexible models of what works or doesn’t work – without such flexibility, placements can be difficult for all concerned.