Annual letter February 2024
I’m Santos A. Jossene, a 6th year medical student. It has been an amazing year. Added to the fact that it’s the last and new challenges are awaiting ahead. I’m happy that I made it up to this step of my formation as a medical doctor. I’m doing my 3rd rotation at Hospital Central Da Beira, with just one rotation pending in the pediatric department and then we go for the Primary care at Nhamatanda district and Centro de Saúde São Lucas so that we can call it done. Thank to the Doctors for Mozambique team who undoubtedly have been putting so much effort for the cause, raising donations, updating the platform of the foundation and doing so much in keeping the link with us as APESMO, my gratitude are extended to the donors along Nederland and Germany. Not forgetting our tireless rock Doctors Harry and Gitta who have been keeping our family so united, strong and outnumbered.
Annual letter 2023
I’m Santos A. Jossene a medical student in the transition to the 6th year. My internship in the 5th year has been astonishing and marvellous I’ve learnt a lot of practices and had regular contact with the patients which made it easier to consolidate my knowledge in the medical practice. Now I just have 2 practical examinations left in the paediatric and internal medicine departments to start the last year of the course. It’s been a long journey with a lot of limitations but being part of Doctors for Mozambique has been a huge blessing. I thank doctors Gitta and Harry for their tireless willing to make me grow as a person in the community so that I can contribute with its growth. I fell like am few steps from that dream of helping my family and community as a medical doctor. Undoubtedly thank the whole direction, fund raisers from doctors for Mozambique and mainly the donors along Nederland without your unconditional help I couldn’t be here today realising what someday I called a dream. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to know miss Thia de Jong the new secretary of DfM a woman full of energy and interested in knowing how we live and very encouraging.
2022:
I am Santos António Jossene, 23 years old, 5th year student of medicine, just pediatric OSCE grades to confirm the status mentioned above.
My 4th year was characterized with a lot of new information to be learned and I had to be more proactive and intelligent to be able to manage a very busy schedule that I had. This was the last year in the university classrooms. Thank God I was able to complete the modules successfully and I’m now heading into the next level of my course (Clinical level/internship). I will be doing it at HCB (Hospital Central da Beira) and I’m really looking forward to it.
This process of making my dreams come true wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for my sponsors’ unconditional support. I would truly like to express my sincere gratitude for everything you have been doing for us. Specifically doctors Gitta and Harrie for their golden hearts, playing this great role in our lives so well even with difficulties in travelling to our country lately.
During the year I had ups and downs as a lot of students in the course. One of the low points that led me to a depression, was the robbery in my dwelling. It really broke me into pieces. And impacted in my performance academically. Because of the lack of studying tools and the depression. But luckily I’m part of this huge and welcoming family (DfM). They helped me to pass through the cloudy moment.
Here we understand each other because we face the same reality and the scarcity…we’re all coming from rural areas. But we manage to keep up together as brothers and I couldn’t stress that enough. Not because we’re intelligent or strength enough but because we have this green light which I call hope provided by the donors of our foundation and this wonderful couple that do what’s in their power to still give us this green light by their dedication in the cause. Thank you!
Beira, 25th June, 2022
My greetings
2021:
Santos A. Jossene. I’m 22 years old. I’m a 4th year student of medicine at UCM (Universidade Católica de Moçambique) in Beira city. I’m really glad that I make it up here. Thanks to Doctors for Mozambique (DfM) donners and doctors Gitta and Harry who have been playing their role of paternalism so well even from miles away. It hasn’t been easy for me in this pandemic but the world calls us to adapt to the new reality. I also have to express my gratitude to my family, friends and colleagues too who have been supporting me in my distress with motivation quotes to keep along even with the limitations. I like the 4th year, it is challenging and we’ve pediatric clinics which is interesting and really tricky because kids aren’t specific enough in their complains or better they don’t speak for themselves comparing to adults ( “Adult clinics” which I started to have last year when in 3rd year). Here we face the patients and apply our knowledge discussed in the tutorials and it’s quite interesting. I expect to keep giving all of me to succeed and to be a good Doctor in the future so that I can help my family and my patients… “That dream remains my fuel to keep fighting”.
2020:
I am Santos A. Jossene, a 3rd year medical student at UCM-FCS Beira, Sofala province in Mozambique. Last year I did my 2nd of the course. Which was the last year of studying normal functions of the human body. With success I got the transition to start studying diseases which I guess will be a year of increased challenges and I am ready to face them. Not only 2019 was a year of success for me but also I had so many difficulties caused by the disaster (Ciclone IDAI) such as: I was roofless, my studying material got wet, the food too. Which was the key materials for success in my studies. By passing through all of this sad situations you (our donners) didn’t let us down. You supported us with the key needs as food and computers for our resilience. I am really pleased for your support. And I am sure all of this wouldn’t happen without an intermediary (doctors Gitta and Harry).
Lately, I say thank you to doctors Gitta and Harry for their hearts of gold, they did a lot in rebuilding and fortifying my motivation with psychologic help after all.
Thanks to all of you making my dream come true.
2018:
My name is Santos JOSSENE, first year student of medicine. This is my second year at the university. I did PROPEDEUTIC YEAR in 2017. It was a bit difficult for me to get used to the new routine and method of the university which is totally different in comparison to the high school method, but fortunately my colleagues helped me to get on with it. Being in the first year is an outcome of a lot of help and motivation in part of my family, which is one of the challenges living far from them. I get hold of them at least twice a week and they have been encouraging me. l thought living alone would be easy, but it requires a lot of responsibility for me. I would like to thank doctor Mauane who dedicates his energy for the organization, pre-selecting us in the districts which is a great opportunity particularly for me. I would also like to thank doctor Gitta and doctor Harry who have a heart of gold, watching our steps, guiding us and solving most of our problems, despite of not being here full time.
Last year I had the opportunity to meet some of the donors, I’m talking about Mr. Frank and his wife Mrs. Coby, with whom we shared some of our tradition, how we live in our country particularly in rural areas and some of our mother tongues. I am extremely happy to know that people care about my steps and progression. You are saving a lot of futures. There are a lot of people who would like to do medicine but the families don’t have economies to support them. A big thank goes to all our donors, who generously help us out with our expenses.
As Martin Luther king Jr. had a dream, I also have a dream to be a good doctor and contribute to the education of my family.
2017
My name is Santos António Jossene, son of António Jossene João junior e Rosa Manuel Meia. I am single, 17 years old and I was born June 23rd 1999 in Moamba, Maputo province. I had 3 siblings of which one sister, all are going to school. When I was 5 years old I started going to school in Malahice, Gaza province. In 2005 I started primary school at a missionary school in Moatize, Tete province. In 2009 when I was in the 5th grade my parents divorced which had a great impact on me and my studies. The following two years, living with my father who was unemployed, were very difficult but I continued studying and was considered to be the best of my group. In the 10th grade my biology teacher motivated me to choose for group B, pre- university study in the field of medicine and now I am student of the propaedeutic year of the medical course at UCM-Beira with the help of Doctors for Mozambique Foundation. This help is very important for us who do not have conditions to enter superior education, especially the medical course and for the society which will beneficiate from our future services.