Michaela Powell had a roundabout journey to get to Apia, where she is currently volunteering as a Speech Language Therapist at the Samoan Ministry of Education (specifically, the Inclusive Education Unit) until December 2024. She began working as a Speech Language Therapist in 2015, but had always had an interest in volunteering. One of her colleagues, an occupational therapist, had volunteered with VSA in the past and recommended the programme to her, so Michaela applied and went to Kiribati in 2020 (also as a Speech Language Therapist).
‘Unfortunately Covid happened,’ remembers Michaela. ‘I didn’t get to finish my assignment, and I kind of came home with a sense of unfinished business.’ There was a brief attempt to send Michaela to Samoa instead, but it didn’t work out.
When everything cleared up with Covid, Samoa Programme Manager Lagi Natanielu contacted Michaela and invited her to come over to Apia. ‘After a bit of thought and deliberation, I decided it was a change I wanted. In terms of my SLT career, I had quite broad experience, some generalist and more recently specialising in working with children and adults with complex communication and looking at communication systems for them. I was excited to see how I could apply my skills in a new context.’
First training session of a series Michaela has been running, with Belinda interpreting in sign language.
Since being in Apia, Michaela says she’s leaned more heavily on her generalist knowledge. ‘It’s been quite good to try and jog my memory on more general speech and language areas,’ she says. She has particularly enjoyed applying strategies that she has used in Aotearoa in a new context. ‘There’s a communication board I use in New Zealand and trying it out here with some of the children in Samoa – it’s been really interesting to see that it remains really successful. Even though we’re communicating in different languages, or from different cultural contexts, the strategies are still working. That’s been fascinating to see.’
Part of Michaela’s role involves supporting inclusive education service providers such as special schools, and a service called SENESE, which supports children with disabilities in the mainstream schooling system. Inclusive education has been written into Samoan policy since 2014 and aims to get all children into some sort of education and provide equal opportunities for all.
Training with teacher aides at SENESE.
‘My role is really around answering the question, how do you support children with communication needs? How do you assess them and how do you use strategies or therapy ideas to help them?’ Michaela says. She says her role is ‘incredibly varied’ and has changed a lot over the year she’s been in Samoa so far. ‘During the last six weeks, I’ve been working with a special school to support individual students, particularly implementing the communication board there,’ she says. ‘But I also run communication trainings, have been involved in a national hearing screening, and have done more general disability support. Overall, sometimes I’m in the office and sometimes I’m in the field.’
Michaela says the experience of volunteering hasn’t been without its challenges and working in a different system can sometimes be overwhelming. But after a period of settling in, she’s really found her feet. ‘I’ve particularly enjoyed working with the local children here,’ she says. ‘I get a real kick out of seeing people try the strategies I’ve applied back home and seeing them work here too. And I love meeting people and creating new relationships.’
She adds that living in Samoa has been ‘really great’. ‘The lifestyle here is amazing, particularly if you like swimming and adventuring,’ she says. Michaela lives in an apartment block along with some other VSA volunteers and says having this kind of ‘family away from home’ has been wonderful. ‘It’s been especially great going with the other volunteers around some of the local beaches, trying snorkelling, seeing the coral, and getting to learn a bit more about Samoan culture,’ she adds.
Off to Namua Island for the day with the VSA team.
To those considering a volunteering assignment, Michaela says, ‘just give it a go’. She has found it an immensely meaningful experience, even when it was hard. ‘For me, it’s meant reevaluating my practice a little bit, and thinking about my career at a deeper level,’ she says. ‘It can really give you a different perspective on how you could work, and that you could work in a place that might have less resources than you’re used to. You become quite creative and you have to chill out a bit. And it gives you a different perspective on the different priorities families might have. That’s incredibly valuable going forward.’