From Pine Villa to Addis Ababa: a volunteer’s journey

One of Mansfield Care Homes’ most experienced staff members is currently volunteering in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, and reports on her work in the community of Korah, where residents experience extreme poverty and limited opportunities. Dolly Austin has worked as a nurse at Pine Villa care home in Loanhead for the past 15 years, after retiring from the Radiology Department at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh. Now 77 years old, Dolly has made annual trips for almost 25 years to volunteer her skills and expertise, and shows no sign of stopping!

“For 24 years, I’ve been volunteering in countries such as Romania, with children who have HIV, in India with children and women, and now in Ethiopia.” says Dolly. “I am currently working for NGO ‘Hope for Korah’ in the poorest part of Addis Ababa. I’ve been coming here for 12 years for 3- 5 weeks at a time, working with two wonderful nurses in the local clinic run by HFK. Every day I help give breakfast to over 300 children, and I also help out in a home for the elderly. The children get bread and tea or milk every morning and for this visit, my family have donated money for me to provide fruit for each child every other day. Over the years, I’ve taught many skills and ideas that can be transferable for the communities I work with, such as making clothes, handbags, aprons, purses, and even hospital scrubs.”

Dolly supports her own travel and accommodation, while family and friends donate items for the community in Korah including clothes and shoes which fill Dolly’s many large travel cases. This year, one of Pine Villa’s residents kindly donated sweets for the children attending the daily breakfasts.

Mansfield Care supports Dolly to take a month out to visit Addis Ababa to support the community in Korah. As well as Dolly’s breakfast duties, she also works at a clinic during the day, assisting with vaccinations and providing medical aid to those in need.

Colleagues at Mansfield Care are full of admiration for Dolly’s work, saying, “She’s so dedicated and selfless. She’s some woman!”

Thanks to Dolly for the words and images from Korah.