Volunteer stories - Samuel

I was born and brought up in Sierra Leone, the capital of Freetown. I attended primary and secondary school and later did some voluntary work with the Sierra Leone Red Cross and MSF (Sierra Leone ), on helping to curb the spread of epidemics like cholera and HIV. Since then, I’ve grown more interested in health related issues and the need to help people who are in need.

Me being a volunteer at Healthwatch stems from my active volunteering role with the British Red Cross. A first–aid coordinator introduced me to Healthwatch and having read about their activities and work, I was thrilled to get involved because of the link with health related issues and my passion for compassion, the chance to meet new people and learn new things. The team at Healthwatch are a great inspiration and have helped me to improve on my knowledge, skills and confidence. It is definitely a platform for my career to become a health professional one day.

My volunteering at Healthwatch started in 2013. Since then I’ve been actively taking part in activities and events across Liverpool with the team. I love being a part of Healthwatch volunteering team because of the educative and productive elements of its program.

I got involved most times with the public outdoor events attended by Healthwatch. This could be: one to one with people wanting to know about health watch, and distributing leaflets to passers by. On some other times, I stay in the office on the computer researching the internet for information relevant to the organisation – data entry from various dental practices and GP’S surgeries within a particular locality in Liverpool. Improving computer skills knowledge and group discussions on how to improve Healthwatch Liverpool.