As numbers and demand for specialised health providers in Samoa increases, Naomi Levels jumped at the opportunity to leave Tilburg University in the Netherlands and spend five months in Samoa.
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She volunteered for the international volunteering company- Projects Abroad.
Time has flown by quickly and as she is about to return home, she will reflect on many fond memories of her time here.
In the duration of her stay, she has shared her time between working at the National Hospital supervised by Dr. George Tuitama and Dr. Ian Parkin; and working with the staff at Loto Taumafai, observing, assisting and sharing her knowledge with them.
Mental Health is a term that has been bantered around in more recent times and is quickly becoming a new buzz word among all health communities here in Samoa.
Psychology and Psychiatry may be the norm within university students’ and health practitioner circles but it would be fair to assume that the general public have minimal knowledge of academics Freud and Jung and their study into the human mind.
With the men of Samoa turning to suicide in record numbers and having identified more children with unique learning difficulties in our schools;
coupled with the ever increasing pressures faced in a developing economy; increased awareness and education of mental health is a welcome necessity.
“Samoa has established a beginning, and there is a willingness by people to help, and they are all doing a wonderful job with the limitations in place, however it is a growing area of expertise,” Ms. Levels says.
Ms. Levels is studying a Masters in Child and adolescent psychology and her time in Samoa will go towards its completion.
“Child mental health is still in its infancy in Samoa…knowledge is needed to correctly assess, identify and diagnose psychological disorders, problems or syndromes.”
Ms. Levels volunteered through Projects Abroad as they provide 20 years of experience, variety, flexibility and 24 hour in country support.
Projects Abroad Samoa places volunteers from all over the world within teaching, care, medical, sports, physiotherapy, nutrition, community village, journalism, occupationaltherapy projects, and many more.
All volunteers are placed within projects that are both sustainable and worthwhile and live with local Samoan host families.
Ms. Levels has been living with an incredible host family- Jacinta Vaise of Moamoa, and this family experience certainly played a huge part in enjoying her stay.
As she reflects on her volunteering experience over the past five months, she is taking home a new family, friends, a new mindset, and a newfound appreciation for Holland.
“I have had a great experience here in Samoa and have learnt a lot about the culture and myself,” she says.
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