Volunteering as an African Woman Health Champion in Botswana

My name is Violet Mathenge. I am a medical doctor and epidemiologist, with more than 7 years of experience in the clinical field as well as in epidemiology and disease surveillance. I am a Kenyan national, currently serving as a UN Volunteer - Surveillance and Emergency Risk Management Officer for the WHO Country Office in Botswana. I also love playing tennis when free.

I joined WHO Botswana through the WHO/UNV Africa Women Health Champions programme. Under the leadership of the WHO Botswana Country Representative and guidance from my supervisor, I have been providing technical support in different areas of Country Health Emergency Preparedness and Response through WHO Botswana. This includes developing emergency preparedness and response plans, supporting risk assessments, critical core capacities for health emergencies, and providing technical assistance at the country level on priority issues such as emergency preparedness, surveillance, and response; operational readiness, and essential public health functions. I also support WHO’s efforts for enhancing the government’s adherence to the international health regulations. My day-to-day work involves working closely with the WHO Health Emergencies team, WHO Regional Team, and government partners.

Given my current role, I have been heavily involved in COVID-19 response efforts in the country. One of my greatest achievements has been strengthening data infrastructure and capacities for Botswana’s health sector. The information generated from the capacities I helped build has been useful in informing response activities, such as guiding targeted case management and vaccination particularly in the context of COVID-19 response. Health surveillance forms a key aspect of any response, and data forms a big piece of the pie.

I have consistently received excellent feedback and support from my colleagues, my supervisor, and the WHO Representative in Botswana. This has motivated me to put my best foot forward, to dream big, and as the WHO Botswana Representative often likes to say, ‘to fly’.

One of the greatest challenges in my work was traveling from a very familiar environment in my home country to a new environment. I had to take time to understand the health systems and quickly adapt to the local culture to facilitate my work and support the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Through my work here, I have learned a lot about being persistent and patient.

Serving as a female UN Volunteer and a health professional has been a very uniquely rewarding experience and has given me a lot of satisfaction and pushed me to want to be better. My greatest satisfaction comes from seeing the impact of my service and contribution to society. To me, volunteerism means giving up my time, knowledge, energy, and heart for the greater good. In giving my service, I have received a truly rewarding experience.

A former UNV staff and International Volunteer, my now colleague Cristina Birsan, External Relations and Partnerships Officer at WHO Botswana, keeps reminding me that ‘once someone becomes a volunteer, the volunteer spirit is forever carried along.’ That is a mantra I am proud to live by.

My name is Violet Mathenge. I am a medical doctor and epidemiologist, with more than 7 years of experience in the clinical field as well as in epidemiology and disease surveillance. I am a Kenyan national, currently serving as a UN Volunteer - Surveillance and Emergency Risk Management Officer for the WHO Country Office in Botswana. I also love playing tennis when free.

I joined WHO Botswana through the WHO/UNV Africa Women Health Champions programme. Under the leadership of the WHO Botswana Country Representative and guidance from my supervisor, I have been providing technical support in different areas of Country Health Emergency Preparedness and Response through WHO Botswana. This includes developing emergency preparedness and response plans, supporting risk assessments, critical core capacities for health emergencies, and providing technical assistance at the country level on priority issues such as emergency preparedness, surveillance, and response; operational readiness, and essential public health functions. I also support WHO’s efforts for enhancing the government’s adherence to the international health regulations. My day-to-day work involves working closely with the WHO Health Emergencies team, WHO Regional Team, and government partners.

Given my current role, I have been heavily involved in COVID-19 response efforts in the country. One of my greatest achievements has been strengthening data infrastructure and capacities for Botswana’s health sector. The information generated from the capacities I helped build has been useful in informing response activities, such as guiding targeted case management and vaccination particularly in the context of COVID-19 response. Health surveillance forms a key aspect of any response, and data forms a big piece of the pie.

I have consistently received excellent feedback and support from my colleagues, my supervisor, and the WHO Representative in Botswana. This has motivated me to put my best foot forward, to dream big, and as the WHO Botswana Representative often likes to say, ‘to fly’.

One of the greatest challenges in my work was traveling from a very familiar environment in my home country to a new environment. I had to take time to understand the health systems and quickly adapt to the local culture to facilitate my work and support the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Through my work here, I have learned a lot about being persistent and patient.

Serving as a female UN Volunteer and a health professional has been a very uniquely rewarding experience and has given me a lot of satisfaction and pushed me to want to be better. My greatest satisfaction comes from seeing the impact of my service and contribution to society. To me, volunteerism means giving up my time, knowledge, energy, and heart for the greater good. In giving my service, I have received a truly rewarding experience.

A former UNV staff and International Volunteer, my now colleague Cristina Birsan, External Relations and Partnerships Officer at WHO Botswana, keeps reminding me that ‘once someone becomes a volunteer, the volunteer spirit is forever carried along.’ That is a mantra I am proud to live by.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme launched a new initiative in 2020:  Africa Women Health Champions. The partnership seeks to recruit 100 women to support WHO in improving people’s health and wellbeing in the region, while also promoting gender equality on the continent. Read more here. Watch the video that introduces two of the Africa Women Health Champions.