When Michela received the email about the Charity Work Program from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, she immediately knew it was the opportunity she had been waiting for. Not just any experience, not simply a trip far away, but a call to get involved.
The application was sent within minutes. Her fears, however, took a little longer to surface: “Will I be ready? Will I be able to be useful?”. These are natural questions that many volunteers carry in their hearts before leaving. But the desire to be there, to lend a hand, was stronger.
The day of departure arrived suddenly, as it happens with all important things. Even before landing in Entebbe, enthusiasm had already won over everything.
The first African sunrise
After almost twenty-four hours of travel, Michela and her fellow adventurer, Giuseppe, stepped out of the airport sleepless and full of expectations.
On the road towards the Benedict Medical Centre—the first real immersion into Ugandan life for many volunteers—they saw their first African sunrise: a soft light resting on dirt roads, tin shacks, fruit stalls, roaming animals, and barefoot children running between vehicles. A powerful impact that shakes you and puts everything back into perspective.
At the Benedict Medical Centre, they were welcomed by Dr. Fred with a simple phrase that felt like an embrace: “Get some rest, you must be tired.” But resting is impossible when a whole new world is opening up to be discovered.
A few hours later, they were already on their feet exploring the clinic.
Mission Home: where you feel at home
For lunch, they were taken to the Mission Home, the warm heart of Fondazione Italia Uganda. Here, Michela met young men and women supported in their studies by Father John’s Foundation, as well as newly arrived volunteers—new faces that immediately became familiar.
“In that place, I felt welcomed as if in a family.”
It is like this for many: the Mission Home is an open door, a place where stories intertwine and everyone feels part of something bigger.
Learning to practice medicine with eyes and heart
For a medical student like Michela, experiencing life in a Ugandan clinic is powerful. In just one month, Michela saw pathologies that are not present in Italy, procedures performed with essential tools, and diagnoses formulated by listening to and observing the patient before any tests.
Yet, it was right there that Michela found a more human medicine: made of attention, professionalism, and courage. In the delivery room, the wards, and the outpatient clinics, she worked alongside skilled and passionate doctors, ready to share their daily struggles but also the strength of their community.
A mutual exchange was born with them: questions, discussions, and smiles. A professional and human encounter that enriched both sides.
Acholi Quarters: “I didn’t imagine this reality”
Among the most intense moments, Michela recalls the visit to the Acholi Quarters, one of the poorest areas of Kampala, where Fondazione Italia Uganda has been operating for over 60 years.
Crowded shacks, children collecting debris to sell, latrines shared by dozens of families: a harsh reality that is difficult to understand without seeing it. “I didn’t imagine such poverty could exist. It changed me”.
Florence’s delivery: the moment that changed everything
Among the many experiences lived, there is one that Michela will never forget.
It was her first labor experience. Florence, a mother, was about to give birth, but something was wrong: her baby was in an unfavorable position, and an emergency C-section was needed. The midwife ran to find the gynecologist. Michela was left alone with the woman, who was screaming, crying, and looking at her for help.
“I could only hold her hand, give her strength, and try to be there for her.”
Long, intense minutes passed. Finally, the team arrived and Florence was taken to the operating room. The baby was born healthy.
A few days later, while Michela was in the vaccination ward, Florence returned to thank her and said a sentence she would never forget:
“I have decided on the baby’s name. I will call her after you: Michela.”
A gesture filled with gratitude, trust, and recognition that is worth more than a thousand words.
A month that becomes a piece of life
Michela returned to Italy with much more than she gave: a new awareness, a broader vision of her future as a doctor, an unexpected love for obstetrics, deep bonds, and a story she will always carry with her.
Her story is the concrete testimony of what happens when one decides to leave: you discover that the real change is not just what you leave in the field, but what you carry inside.
Because, as Father John used to say: “Life is a tumultuous adventure to do good to everyone.”
Michela chose to live it. And her story reminds us that each of us can be part of this mission. Write to us at volontari@italiauganda.org
