#Proudofourstudents | Our students from Nîmes on a mission in Dakar

Our students have talent and ideas to spare! While our students in Montpellier are rallying behind a solidarity project in Togo, our students in Nîmes have chosen Senegal and the city of Dakar for the annual humanitarian project led by the Crocos du Monde association. It's a wonderful initiative that we didn't want to miss sharing. Report and interview.

 

 

To find out more about the ins and outs of this project, we met with Joffrey Buland, President of Crocos du Monde for 2021-22! Read his interview below!

 

Hello Joffrey, can you introduce yourself and tell us what your role is in this project?

Hello, my name is Joffrey Buland and I am currently in my second year of medical school in Nîmes. During the Crocos du Monde "Dakar 2022" project, in my first year, I was president of the association. The role of the president, in collaboration with the executive committee, is to organize the international project. We were responsible for communicating with local contacts, requesting quotes for the end-of-year container, and organizing its delivery and the trip to the destination.

 

Can you tell us more about this project? What did it involve?

This project was a new venture for Les Crocos du Monde. Our ambition was to set up a more sustainable international initiative, a long-term partnership that could be renewed each year. It was with this goal of sustainability in mind that we came up with the idea of the container, to give a second life to the equipment we had collected throughout the year. As Crocos du Monde is primarily focused on sharing and sustainable development, the idea seemed relevant to us. The goal was to collect medical and paramedical equipment throughout the year via various partners and ship it to Senegal, specifically to the Fatick Hospital, 150 km south of Dakar.

 

Why did you choose Senegal? What motivated your choice?

We turned to Senegal thanks to a doctor at Nîmes University Hospital, Dr. Christophe Boisson, who helped us enormously in setting up our project. Dr. Boisson has been sending containers of medical equipment to Dakar for several years now, and it was with him and our trusted contacts on the ground that we decided to focus on Fatick University Hospital. This led to an official partnership between Carémeau University Hospital and Dakar University Hospital, of which Crocos du Monde and Fatick are a branch. This partnership has three main areas of focus: the delivery of equipment, in which we have been involved; medical and paramedical training via the simulation center; and training for biomedical engineers and technicians.

 

How did you organize the collection of materials?

The collection of equipment began with the hospital expressing its needs and providing us with a list. We selected from this list the equipment that we were able to recover and that was within our reach. The "Dakar 2022" project therefore focused primarily on the nephrology department, which is undergoing rapid development in Fatick. Once we had identified our target, we turned to our partners, including individuals, other associations, and, most importantly, the Nîmes University Hospital and Dr. Boisson, and we began our search and collection efforts.

 

In the end, what kind of material did you manage to collect? How much was it?

By the end of the year, we had collected enough to fill a 33 m³ container, or 2.5 tons of equipment. Most of it was urology and nephrology equipment, including catheters and urinary ostomy kits, but there was also some surgical equipment such as ventilation circuits and laparoscopy kits. We were also lucky enough to find some large electronic equipment, seven emergency stretchers, and a delivery table. The aim was to give a second life to what we sent, so all expiry dates were checked and all electronic equipment was tested and refurbished if necessary by Apelem, an association of biomedical engineers and technicians working in partnership with Nîmes University Hospital.

 

You took part in the trip in July. How did it go? What did you and your colleagues get out of it?

Four of us set off with three second-year medical students from Nîmes, two of whom are now part of the executive committee. The aim was to show them places such as Fatick Hospital, for which they will be collecting equipment, so that they could get a clear idea of their future project for 2023. At the same time, we wanted them to meet our trusted local contacts, which will improve communication over the coming year and help them visualize the why, how, and for whom. The trip was very enriching on a human level, allowing us to see and understand different hospital and cultural practices, with resources that also vary depending on the facility.

 

Does this motivate you to get involved in humanitarian medicine?

Humanitarian medicine has always been my big project, even when I started PACES. My goal has always been to join Doctors Without Borders or other organizations to go on missions. When I discovered the Crocos du Monde association and had the opportunity, along with my friends, to get involved at my own level from the first year of medical school, I didn't hesitate. This year has allowed me to further develop and strengthen this dream once I graduate.

 

What are Crocos du Monde's upcoming projects?

To answer this question, I will hand over to Chloé Messines, the new president of Crocos du Monde for the 2022/2023 term.

Chloé: Les Crocos du Monde continues to focus on the partnership between the Nîmes and Dakar university hospitals, specifically on filling the container with medical equipment. Most of our internal investment and the events we organize are aimed at financing the project. In addition, it is important for us and our Senegalese partners to meet and witness the successful delivery of the container. As in the previous year, Les Crocos du Monde is keen to visit Dakar and Fatick to talk to the people who made this project possible. Now, our goal for this year is to also create a real community life for members by offering a wider variety of events (clean walks, school visits, outreach programs, etc.), with an inter-community aspect (collaboration within the Nîmes en rose project led by the midwifery corporation, pep week with Tutorat Santé Nîmes). We are therefore relying on the motivation of second-year medical and midwifery students to ensure the successful development of the association.