I work as a resident at the Royal Women's Hospital pursuing my passion in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.I was born in Sri Lanka and was exposed to the significant hardships and displacement people had to suffer due to the civil war. As a result I developed an intrinsic passion towards helping disempowered and disadvantaged communities. I have been involved in refugee issues for a while and when I heard about The Water Well Project as a medical student, it inspired me to join because it provided me the opportunity to combine both my passions - medicine and refugee/migrant health.
3. Please share one of your favourite Water Well sessions or moments.
While working with the lovely South Sudanese group it was great to see certain members actively implementing behavioural changes based on a cardiovascular health session we conducted the previous week. The following session, the participants stopped adding sugar to their coffee, brought grapes instead of cookies to snack and encouraged their partners to change their dietary habits. I was also gifted a homemade perfume and was commanded to "go make babies"!
4. What tips do you have for new volunteers?
Have a look at the topic template prior to the session. This provides a great starting conversational point. Always be ready to improvise and be ready to deviate from the template based on the needs, concerns and questions from the group. Utilise the resource box for more interactive teaching.
