Over 20 years ago the Amazon Hope 2 visited my town.  On board and through our church we learnt of The Vine Trust and it’s work in Peru and I thought what an amazing thing it would be to volunteer.  However, working in admin, I had no usable skills so it was nothing more than a ‘what if?’ moment.  However, years later and having worked as a phlebotomist/ lab assistant and now a healthcare support worker, a chance conversation with a veteran of many Vine Trust trips to both Peru and Tanzania, my ‘what if’ began to become more of a ‘when’.  And so, after much prayer and huge encouragement from the earlier mentioned veteran, who I dubbed my angel, in November 2024, I fulfilled a long-held dream and joined the crew of Jubilee Hope on Lake Victoria.

To say it surpassed my expectations, doesn’t really explain what an amazing experience it was.  For me, as a healthcare support worker, joining the crew of the Jubilee Hope was so far out of my comfort zone, that I didn’t have any expectations.  All I knew was that I really wanted to be helpful, to make a difference and to absorb every second as I had said all along it would be a once in a lifetime trip.  From the very beginning, it was a special atmosphere – this amazing crew/staff of Jubilee Hope, who each month welcome complete strangers aboard really are a very special ‘family’ and to join them even for 2 weeks is a privilege.  Each day starts with the staff meeting, with the option to join in praise singing and prayer and then a refreshing, honest run down of how things are going with everyone, and a chance to air worries or issues and share good news stories.  Throughout the day, everyone works hard to ensure every patient is given enough time and attention by whoever needs to see them, with many of the crew undertaking dual roles onboard - first officer/ translator or marine crew/ floor manager. 

During our trip in November 2024, we visited 4 islands and saw hundreds of patients, following a well thought out process that makes excellent use of the limited space and resources available.  My greatest fear on joining was that I wouldn’t be useful, not being a qualified nurse or a doctor, but my lab experience turned out to be valuable and I joined the superb team of Anna & Benjamin, carrying out dozens of point of care tests and recording the results in the ledger.  All the medical staff on board were extremely encouraging towards the volunteers, especially in the first few days as we found our feet.

Teamwork really does take on a whole new meaning on Jubilee Hope, and I loved being part of a team whose love for what they do shines every day.  Talking of shining things, we had some gorgeous sunny days where the beautiful islands gave us lots of photo opportunities, some stunning rain which slowed work down a bit, an amazing trip to church on Kerebe, and a few laughs due to a dropped Kindle and a new hat!  Mixed emotions on returning to Mwanza and saying our farewells to new found friends and that once in a lifetime experience might just need repeating!

Joan MacKintosh

Jubilee Hope, Team November 2024