Brianne Nurse Volunteer

Hey, everyone my name is Brianne Moffitt. Dave introduced me a little bit previously, but I am indeed the RN. I am from Logan, Utah and I still reside there. I graduated from school three years ago and have worked for Cache Valley Women’s Center ever since. I was so excited when the Ungana Foundation asked me to come to Africa.

As we headed to the border of the Congo I have to admit I got nervous and scared a bit. I have only been in Rwanda for a few days and have only heard scary things about the Congo. As soon as we met up with our friends from the Congo I felt a lot more at ease. They knew exactly where to take us and how to get there. The city was so busy, the drivers were crazy. That probably ended up being the most dangerous part of the trip. We met at a school classroom which we appreciate them letting us use. When I came to Africa they told me I would be teaching 7 nurses a day instead it was like 16-20 nurses, most of who were male which was interesting to me. Doctor Jonathan was there to translate and he did a terrific job. Everyone participated and asked questions. It was so fun to hear the questions they had for me. For example one nurse asked, “Why are Americans scared of breastfeeding”? It was hard to answer that without smiling. When I told them I had never dealt with a pregnant AIDs patient in Logan, Utah there was shock. I told them I had to read about it and ask the doctors I work for about treatment. They did not believe me they kept asking me if I was lying. Their faces were unforgettable when I read statistics from the States on AIDs. It was a very humbling experience. They wanted to know how we do it, why are there so few people with AIDs. I wasn’t quite sure how to respond.

When I was finished with all of the material they asked if I could come back for more days. I told them I didn’t have any more material then they asked if I could get more. Throughout the seminar I could not tell if they were enjoying the seminars so it was great to see their responses. It was so fun/interesting to compare stories and treatments. They have taught me so much. When we left they had one of the nurses stand and thank us. It was so sweet and nice of him. It was such a great learning experience for me and hopefully for them too.