Jacquelyn Bilbro in the clinic with one of her young patients at the Foundation for African Medicine and Education (FAME) in Tanzania. (Courtesy photo)
By MARY JO WINTER / Cloverdale TOWNS correspondent
Most Cloverdale children don’t dream of going to Africa, but 30-year-old Jacquelyn Bilbro knew from the time she was three this is where she wanted to be. Her future career choice helped make that dream a reality.
Following graduation from Cloverdale High School in 2001, Bilbro moved to San Diego, where she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from San Diego State.
“I discovered that being an RN came with the freedom to work anywhere doing a huge variety of things,” she says. “At 21, I couldn’t imagine doing any one thing for the rest of my life. Nursing made the world look like a playground and I was ready for that.”
After working a few years in San Diego, she started volunteering around the globe. Her first taste of the developing world came in Nicaragua while visiting a friend in the Peace Corps. Soon after, she spent five weeks in Ethiopia and Tanzania. She has also volunteered in Cambodia on the USS Mercy Ship during their Pacific Partnership Tour and on a medical mission to Guatemala.
In Tanzania, she volunteered for the Foundation for African Medicine and Education (FAME).
“While Ethiopia was my first true African experience, it was Tanzania that stole my heart. The moment I landed in that country, I felt like I was home. It didn’t matter that no one shared my shade of skin or spoke English. Tanzania was in my blood. It’s still the only place in the world where I feel drawn to return.”
Six months after coming home, Bilbro was invited back by the founders of FAME to help develop their newly built hospital.
“It was the easiest decision of my life. I’d been trying to figure out a way to return since I left. FAME’s clinic was running so well at the time, they didn’t really need me. Now that the hospital had a frame, they needed my help to get it going.”
Her job included putting together lesson plans and classes for a nurse education system, developing policies and procedures, making charts and care plans to be used on each inpatient and setting up the ward to be user-friendly for the staff. She also created a Central Supply, a Pharmacy and an Emergency Room.
About once a month, she visited the Rift Valley Children’s Village, a local non-profit orphanage, for what she describes as “a long weekend to love on the 119 kids and visit the staff and volunteers.”
Jenessa Bilbro, Anne Harris-Gebb and Jacquelyn went on a Safari this past summer. (Courtesy photo)
Last summer, Bilbro had visitors from home – her younger sister, Jenessa Bilbro, a first year Kindergarten teacher at Jefferson School, and Anne Harris-Gebb, her former first grade teacher who has taught at Jefferson for 27 years.
After spending three weeks in Tanzania, the two teachers now have their own version of “what I did on my summer vacation” to share with their students.
Each brought two suitcases, one with their personal items and the other filled with supplies like sheets, towels, marker pens, sunglasses, reading glasses, jump ropes, blow up balls, books, crayons to leave behind. Janessa made sure to pack toddler and baby clothes in her suitcase, as well, because she knew she would be spending time at the Children’s Village.
While Janessa was helping in the Kindergarten and Harris-Gebb in the Nursery at the orphanage, they noticed what appeared to be tubs of donated toys and craft supplies that had never been opened. Turns out, no one knew how to use them.
“For example, they didn’t know about finger paints and were so excited when we demonstrated how to use them,” said Harris-Gebb. “We also showed them how to make flowers and butterflies using the colorful tissue paper.”
Since FAME is located at the base of the Serengeti and at the gates to the Ngorongoro Crater, the Bilbro sisters and Harris-Gebb made time to take a Safari.
Janessa and Harris-Gebb laugh when they recall their field trip to a Seed Farm affiliated with UC Davis. “They stuffed at least 75 people in a short bus and a minivan. No kidding. People and kids were sitting everywhere.”
Both of them have tons of photographs on their laptop computers from their visit to Tanzania and are more than happy to share their experiences with their students. Janessa has even made an African wall in her classroom.
As for Bilbro, she came back to the states in September and is currently working in a South Bay emergency room, waiting for her next overseas opportunity.
“I think I will go on medical missions as long as I am physically capable. It’s the best part of doing the job I do; giving back.”
- Jenessa enjoyed spending time with the little ones at the orphanage.
- Jacquelyn learned how to make Ugali, a Tanzania food staple.
- Jacquelyn and Jenessa’s favorite photo of themselves from their time in Tanzania.
- Jenessa with some of the local women on their way to the Seed Farm.
- Jacquelyn visited the orphanage for long weekends of loving on the children.
- Anne Harris-Gebb untangling jump ropes she brought for the children.
1 comment:
Wao!! Im really touched by this article. Haya ndo mambo tunataka kuyaona. Tupeni uraia pacha tuje tujenge nchi. Ukiwa na karatasi la kijani hapo pressure itapanda maana huwezi maana inabidi ufunge virago before 6 months is over. This is the good idea na unaweza kuitumia kwa fani zote, ualimu haswa wanatakiwa wapigwe shule ya uhakika jinsi ya kufuatilia wanafunzi, conference na wazazi kwani tunaweza it just need right minds, right people and right time to implement simple procedures zitakazobadilisha mfumo wa elimu. Badala ya kumtahini mtoto mwisho wa mwaka it has to be a continuous assessment "NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND" WALE WASIOJIWEZA WANATAFUTIWA MSAADA BEFORE EXAMS END OF THE YEAR, NA WAZAZI WANAJULISHWA NAO WAKAZE BUTI NYUMBANI KUMSAIDIA. This article made my day!!
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