Legacy
We started this initiative inspired by Wouter who strongly believed in health care as a human right.
His work
As tropical doctor Wouter was first and foremost physician, doing clinical work (surgery) in Masanga Hospital. Besides that, he was coordinator of the CapaCare surgical/ obstetrics advanced training. In that capacity he stood up for an integration of the CapaCare advanced training with a 2-year basic medical education conducted by the School of Clinical Science in Makeni (SCSM).
The affiliation with SCSM enabled CapaCare to get its curriculum aligned with the University of Sierra Leone. CapaCare students are now graduated with a Bachelor degree and receive the official title of Clinical Officers. That gives them the license to get access to governmental hospitals and do the operations for which they have been educated.
His Death
Wouter passed away on November 23, 2019 at the age of 32 due to the fatal consequences of the Lassa virus that he contacted during an operation/resuscitation of a pregnant woman at Masanga Hospital.
With the Scholarship Fund we take him with us into the future. It will remind us of the way he was providing care and welfare for those most in need, with understanding and compassion.