Our students have talent and ideas to spare! While our students in Montpellier are getting involved in a solidarity project in Togo, our students in Nîmes have chosen Senegal and the city of Dakar for the annual humanitarian project organized by the Crocos du Monde association. It’s a wonderful initiative that we didn’t want to miss sharing. Here’s a report and an interview.

To learn more about the ins and outs of this project, we sat down with Joffrey Buland, the 2021–22 President of Crocos du Monde! Check out his interview below!

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

Hello, my name is Joffrey Buland and I am currently a second-year medical student in Nîmes. During the Crocos du Monde “Dakar 2022” project, in my first year, I served as president of the association. The president’s role, in collaboration with the executive committee, is to organize the international project. We handled communication with local contacts, issued requests for quotes for the end-of-year container, and organized its shipment as well as 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 goal was to launch an international initiative with greater staying power—a long-term partnership that could be renewed each year. It was with this same goal of sustainability in mind that we came up with the idea of the shipping container, to give a second life to the supplies we were able to collect throughout the year. Since Les Crocos du Monde is primarily focused on sharing and sustainable development, the idea seemed fitting to us. The goal was to collect medical and paramedical supplies throughout the year via various partners, which were then shipped to Senegal, specifically the Fatick General Hospital, located 150 km south of Dakar.

Why did you choose Senegal? What led you to make that choice?

We turned our attention to Senegal thanks to a doctor at the Nîmes University Hospital, Dr. Christophe Boisson, who was of immense help in getting our project off the ground. Dr. Boisson has been sending containers of medical supplies to Dakar for several years now; it was with him and our trusted contacts on the ground that we decided to focus our efforts on the Fatick General Hospital. This led to an official partnership between Carémeau University Hospital and Dakar University Hospital, of which Crocos du Monde and Fatick are branches. This partnership has three main focuses: the delivery of supplies, in which we participated; medical and paramedical training through the simulation center; and training for biomedical engineers and technicians.

How did you organize the collection of supplies?

The collection of supplies began with the hospital identifying its needs and providing us with a list. From that list, we selected the supplies we were able to obtain—those that were within our reach. The “Dakar 2022” project was therefore primarily focused on the nephrology unit currently under development in Fatick. Once we had identified our target, we reached out to our partners—including individuals, other organizations, and primarily the Nîmes University Hospital and Dr. Boisson—and began our search and collection efforts.

In the end, what kind of materials were you able to collect? How much is that?

By the end of the year, we had collected enough to fill a 33-cubic-meter container—2.5 tons of supplies. Most of these were urology and nephrology supplies, including catheters and urinary ostomy kits, but we also had some surgical supplies, such as ventilator circuits and laparoscopy kits. We were also fortunate to find large electronic equipment, 7 emergency stretchers, and a delivery table. Since the goal was to give a second life to what we sent, all expiration dates were checked, and all electronic equipment was tested and refurbished as needed through Apelem, an association of biomedical engineers and technicians that is part of the partnership with the Nîmes University Hospital.

You were part of the trip in July. How did it go? What did it mean for you and your colleagues?

The four of us traveled to Nîmes with three second-year medical students, two of whom are now part of the executive committee. The goal was to show them around facilities like the Fatick General Hospital, where they will be collecting supplies, so they could get a clear idea of their upcoming 2023 project. At the same time, we introduced them to our trusted partners and local contacts, which will facilitate better communication in the coming year and help them understand the why, the how, and the for whom. This trip was deeply enriching on a personal level; it allowed us to observe and understand different hospital and cultural systems, with resources that also vary to some extent depending on the facility.

Does this inspire you to get involved in humanitarian medicine?

Humanitarian medicine has always been my main goal; even when I started my pre-med program, my aim was always to join Doctors Without Borders or another organization to go on a mission. When I discovered the Crocos du Monde association, and had the chance—along with my friends—to get involved in my own way starting in my first year of medical school, I didn’t hesitate. This year has allowed me to further deepen and strengthen this dream for after I graduate.

What about future projects for Crocos du Monde?

To answer this question, I’ll hand it over to Chloé Messines, the new president of Crocos du Monde for the 2022–2023 term.

Chloé: Les Crocos du Monde remains focused on the partnership between the University Hospitals of Nîmes and Dakar, and more specifically on assembling the container of medical equipment; the bulk of our internal funding and the events we organize are aimed at financing this project. Furthermore, it is important for us and our Senegalese partners to meet in person and confirm that the container has been received successfully. Just as we did last year, Les Crocos du Monde are committed to traveling to Dakar and Fatick to connect with the people who made this project possible. Now, our goal for this year is also to foster a vibrant community life for our members by offering a wider variety of events (clean walks, school outreach, outreach patrols, etc.), with a focus on inter-organizational collaboration (such as our involvement in the “Nîmes en Rose” project led by the midwifery student association and “Pep’s Week” with Tutorat Santé Nîmes). Thus, we rely on the motivation of second-year medical and midwifery students to ensure the association’s successful development.