At PCG, we are guided by an unwavering commitment to our clients in the public sector. PCG Cares is an extension of that commitment, empowering each full-time employee to volunteer up to 32 hours each fiscal year to work with and support the communities we serve.
We connected with Caleb Migombo on the Health team based out of Raleigh, who recently applied his PCG Cares hours in support of the three extraordinary weeks he spent volunteering in Tanzania with TAUS Inc., a US-based 501(c)3 organization approved by PCG Cares. Read on for his amazing story!
Tell us a little more about yourself and your role at PCG. What does a typical day look like for you?
I came to PCG in 2011 through a staffing agency and was hired by PCG in 2012 as Quality Assurance Team Lead. Since then I have been a member of the Provider Management team/ Payer Services business unit. In my current role as risk and quality manager, I oversee projects' quality assurance, quality control, the risk management program, and related activities. I am also responsible for the ongoing training, monitoring, and compliance of HIPAA Privacy, Security Rules, Breach Notification Rule, and related compliance policies and procedures. I work with dedicated and smart people and have learned a lot from each one of them.
What do you enjoy most about PCG Cares?
Serving others has always been important to me. Having grown up with the understanding of the value of empathy, it's been my mission to positively impact those around me. I have always been happiest when I have tended to another's needs ahead of my own. That's one of the reasons why I've been thrilled to be a part of PCG Cares.
What did your recent volunteering experience with PCG Cares involve?
I volunteered with an organization called Tanzanian Adventists in United States of America (TAUS Inc.) from February 2-22, 2019 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. TAUS Inc. is a group started by members of African Diaspora, specifically Tanzania, who wanted to give back to the communities from which they came. When I heard about the organization, I was immediately compelled to work with them. I was able to use the education and resources that I had acquired from living so long in the States to give back to where my journey all started.
During my time in Tanzania, I had the great opportunity to serve, consult, and provide individual and group counseling to the community and special interest groups. While the trip was through TAUS Inc., I planned the community projects/services on my own.
That's incredible! What kinds of specific activities did you participate in?
The main project I supported, the mobile counseling clinic, was conducted daily from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays. Within the mobile clinic, I counseled at-risk individuals and couples and addressed various issues they presented (including family life, marital issues, domestic violence, mental illness, substance abuse, career challenges, conflict resolution, communication and relationship issues, etc.) as they sought help for their challenges. In partnership with Morning Star Radio and Hope Channel Tanzania TV, I would host daily one-hour live seminars on these various topics and respond to questions and issues raised by our viewers from the previous presentations.
Two other highlights of my trip included visiting the Sober House and the Female State Penitentiary in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday mornings. At Sober House, a facility that focuses on substance abuse and rehabilitation, I was given the opportunity to provide both group and individual counseling to the patients in treatment. In addition to counseling work, I was able to work with local partners to donate food items to the facility.
At the Female State Penitentiary, I was able to speak to approximately 350 women who were currently incarcerated and provide encouragement and group counseling. Additionally, we were able to donate a much-needed three-months supply of feminine care and hygiene products and met with the prison administration and wardens who briefed us on their various issues and challenges in order to strategize on future aide initiatives.
While in Tanzania, we allocated three to four hours every Sunday with special interest groups to facilitate and discuss their respective issues that could not be appropriated to the general viewers on live television/radio. During the first week, I met with couples at Ramada Hotel in Dar es Salaam for a breakfast and seminar. The second Sunday was spent with youth and young adults, and then single parents on my last weekend. Throughout each of these meetings we discussed challenges that were important to the group and brainstormed practical solutions. Members were also encouraged to share their own personal experiences and support.
What first inspired you to engage in this kind of international volunteer work?
I have always wanted to do something positive in my local community and have volunteered throughout my entire life. However, I started thinking about going international during my graduate school years at the University of Georgia (UGA) School of Social Work. The School had an international volunteer and study abroad program in Tanzania and Ghana. I saw so much interest among students and faculty members to go to Tanzania, and that inspired me to be part of the program. The African Studies department at UGA also had a study abroad program in Tanzania.
In 2008, I was asked by both the Department of African Studies and School of Social Work to help develop a comprehensive orientation manual for study abroad programs in Tanzania. This was part of my graduate Assistantship functions. I was then asked to go with students to Tanzania as a study abroad assistant program coordinator in the summer of 2008 and 2009. I helped organize the trips and coordinate travel logistics in Tanzania. After leaving UGA, I started looking for ways to continue making a difference in Tanzania personally and/or with other people.
Was this your first time volunteering in Tanzania or had you already returned?
This year's work was my third volunteer trip to Tanzania. I first went in 2014 to the city of Moshi near Mountain Kilimanjaro, where I worked with local professionals who like me, volunteered their time and skills to serve the community for three weeks. In February 2017, I was in the city of Mbeya Tanzania doing similar work. I look forward to participating in similar projects in the future in Tanzania or somewhere else.
What is one takeaway that you've gained from this experience?
Throughout the duration of this trip I was thankful to PCG and PCG Cares for giving me time and needed support to contribute to these various communities in Tanzania. Although challenging, it has invigorated me to continue serving others in all aspects of my life.
Last Day Final Remarks, Vote of Thanks and Appreciations!