DocTours Newsletter November 2014

Hi Everyone,

Volunteering in a foreign country can be challenging however we receive so much positive feedback that outweighs any uncertainty about the experience.  We share another chapter from an Aussie nurse who has been volunteering in a hospital in Cambodia and is already planning to go back!  As Christmas rapidly approaches, Tracey from Curious Interested reflects on some of the stresses of the season and how we can make love not debt.  We know many of you are travelling soon and therefore we wish you a safe and enjoyable journey!

Please share your pictures and like us on DocTours Volunteers 

Happy reading!

Is a good nurse born or made?

Nurse Annabel has just returned from her volunteer program at a hospital in Phnom Penh.  She writes:  “For as long as I can recall, I have always wanted to be a nurse.  I came into the profession with the notion that I could support and care for people who can’t, or won’t themselves. To travel, teach and model my passion for nursing was always a dream.”

Read more about her unique and humbling experiences here.

She is pictured here exploring Cambodia and having fun with the local children.

Something Awesome?  Volunteering in Namibia

A team of Aussie doctors recently volunteered in Namibia. They are photographed here undertaking a clinic from the back of an ambulance for the local villagers.  The doctors’ partners also volunteered and so they enthusiastically settled into do follow up work on a TB census and some other projects.

What else? 

On a hot and steamy Sydney morning, DocTours took delivery of 50 bags of old hospital linen.   We then arranged for the linen to be shipped up to Papua New Guinea to be handed out to remote villagers who live in very basic conditions.  A good day’s work – you can see Derek here in the photo helping to load the truck!

+Please visit us  at  the Doctours volunteers page on   Facebook   

Curious, Interested?  ‘Tis the Season to be Jolly?

When I was a kid, the most exciting day of the year was Christmas. Even when I learned about Santa, the thrill wasn’t diminished – it was a day of family and food and gifts and cricket games and sunshine and Aunty Erna’s punch. Read more of Tracey’s blog here: ’tis the season to be jolly?