In December, we celebrated the upcoming holiday season with the heartwarming story of Karen Windle, RNC, MS, WHNP-BC, long-standing NPACE board member who was about to venture to Farato, a small village in The Gambia, to render care and education. This is both a preamble and a follow-up to that story in which multiple worlds collide in a network of care.

NPACE Executive Director Shelley Yeager, MA LCSW served for many years as Senior Faculty for the International Diabetes Federation’s Young Leaders in Diabetes (YLD) Program. This program trained young adults around the world to educate communities about diabetes and to distribute donated supplies. Lamin, a Young Leader from The Gambia, would take a YLD leadership position, become close to Shelley, and call her “Auntie.” Thus, when Shelley became the Executive Director at NPACE and learned of Karen Windle’s 2017 trip to The Gambia, she reached out to Lamin, hoping he could help Karen in Farato. Shelley wasn’t sure where Lamin was located within the large country and had not been in touch with Lamin for over a year. Still, she messaged him through a commonly-used application. Almost instantly, he replied, “Auntie Shelley, Farato is the village where I was born! I will meet Karen there and do what I can to help her.” And thus, Karen’s world, Shelley’s world, Lamin’s world and the tiny village of Farato collided, and the magic of NPACE friendships began. Now Lamin calls Karen “Auntie.”

Since then, Shelley has worked with local Lions Clubs to gather medical supplies to assist Future for Farato, the small nonprofit which manages the efforts of volunteers and amasses support for education and health care.

Karen Windle is currently in Farato, bestowing her magic. On the very first day, she delivered a healthy baby and instructed village midwives in proper procedures. Along with a volunteer doctor from Domenica she treated a young girl’s leg ulcer, allowing the girl to return to school. She hung donated bed nets to prevent malaria, distributed donated shoes to prevent further injury and infection and educated teenagers about their bodies and the right to say “no.” She made the long trek to the city, Banjul, to see Dr. Gaye, the only diabetes doctor in the region. Here, she gave Dr. Gaye donated meters and strips to allow blood glucose monitoring in the most fragile of patients. She worked hard, celebrated with her village families and made a world of difference.

As we look at a world where bad things happen, let’s take time to celebrate the collision of good work and good worlds – and let’s pay it forward even further. If you are interested in getting involved in volunteering worldwide, please send us a message at syeager@npace.org.