A Rotherham Community Mental Health Practitioner who headed nearly 8,000 miles to share his knowledge with mental health colleagues in Zimbabwe is back home after another successful trip.
Oliver Hwindingwi, who works at Swallownest Court, Rotherham, for Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH), jetted off to Harare last month with 26 other mental health professionals. Oliver was supporting the Zimbabwe Life Project which aims to improve the quality of care for mental health patients in the African country.
Oliver travelled to the southern hemisphere as a volunteer and fundraised to pay for the trip. The training programme was developed through a partnership with the Zimbabwean health service management team.
Oliver said: “I loved the trip once again. We donated lots of equipment to the hospitals such as wheel chairs, frames, defibrillators and other health care items.
“We completed successful seven day workshops at Harare Hospital and Ingutsheni Hospital in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second biggest city. Health professionals and student nurses benefitted from different subjects including risk assessment, safeguarding, care planning and mentoring. It was an exchange programme where we learned from our Zimbabwe colleagues too.
“We also visited a Tirivanhu Rehabilitation Farm in Ruwa Zimbabwe which has patients with Mental Health conditions who are involved in different gardening projects. We are now planning for next years’ visit in October 2020.”
The group is now looking for donations for their next trip. To donate please visit: https://zlp.org.uk
Caption 2: Oliver is pictured (kneeling front left) with some of the colleagues on the Zimbabwe Life Project after a tour at one of the major Psychiatric units in Harare.
Further information:
Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) provides a range of mental health, learning disability, drug and alcohol services and community health services across Rotherham, Doncaster and North Lincolnshire.