Vester Chisale is a trainee nurse at the Malawi College of Health Sciences in Zomba. Now in her third year, Vester has been taught by VSO volunteer Pam Wilson since she arrived at the college. The number of Malawian nurses being trained has doubled because of volunteers like Pam. But in a country where one nurse attends to 100 patients, there’s still a critical need for more. Vester urges more UK nurses to volunteer so that the next generation of Malawian nurses are equipped with the vital skills to save more lives.

At 15, Vester Chisale fell ill and was taken to hospital. Her experiences there shaped her future. ‘The nurse in hospital cared for me very lovingly and tenderly,’ remembers Vester. ‘It was she who inspired me to join the nursing profession.’ Now 22, Vester is in her third year of a diploma in Nursing and Midwifery at the Malawi College of Health Sciences.

Throughout her diploma Vester has received invaluable support from VSO volunteer Pam Wilson. On a career break from her community-nursing job in Dundee, Pam has been working at the College of Health Sciences since April 2005. ‘As a clinical lecturer, I assist the students in their clinical placements, teaching them on the wards and in the health centres,’ says Pam. ‘As a nurse tutor, I’m based in the college. I prepare and give lectures, mark care studies and set exams.’

Pam has had a very positive impact on Vester and her fellow students. ‘We have really enjoyed our lessons with Pam,’ says Vester. ‘We do make mistakes sometimes but she waits for you, she does not shout, she just calls you aside and says ‘try this, try that’. During her stay here we have learnt a lot, not only from the medical side but also from her way of living. It has been a very good experience to interact with Pam.’

Vester and Pam have worked in a number of clinical settings and are currently based in the midwifery department of a health centre close to the college. It’s Vester’s favourite placement so far. ‘In the nursing department we meet people who are sick from diseases, or have been involved in an accident. It is hard to see three or four patients dying each day,’ says Vester. ‘But here in the midwifery department, we see lives coming, that’s the birth of a baby. You really need to take care as any mistake you can make can cost all the lives, the life of the baby as well as the life of the mother, so it all depends on you.’

Despite a shortage of books in the small library, insufficient computers and overhead projectors in the college and a lack of basic equipment like drip stands in the health centres, Vester and the other trainees are dedicated to their work. ‘They are very committed to their training and learning,’ says Pam. ‘They work very hard, even when conditions are tough.’

The students’ dedication stems from a desire to help their fellow Malawians. ‘Many nurses are leaving Malawi, going overseas looking for greener pastures,’ says Vester. ‘But they must remember that nursing is a calling. Fellow Malawians are suffering a lot. With few nurses, it means that patients even die in the queue waiting to be attended. Malawi needs more nurses, so I’m encouraging my fellow Malawians who are just finishing school to join the nursing profession.’

In the meantime, Vester wants more UK nurses like Pam to work in Malawi. ‘We have the information, but we lack the skills due to lack of equipment. The British nurses have experience of the equipment so they can teach us to use it. We need them to come and help we Malawian nurses.’

It’s possible that if those Malawian school leavers do pursue a career in nursing, one day they could be taught by Vester herself. Her positive experiences working with Pam have inspired her to take her education further. ‘I’m still hoping to continue with my education,’ says Vester. ‘After finishing my diploma I will work for a year, then I will do a degree course and then I can even pursue a masters. After that, I will continue working in the hospital environment.’