Helping is a family tradition: Medical technology assistance in Eritrea.

Joos, introduce yourself.

I am 25 years old and come from the Dutch border area. I have been living and working at Löwenstein Medical in Bremen for six years. My field of activity is technical field service, application and I will also be starting in sales in 2026. I work in field service, covering the area from Bremen up to Rendsburg in northern Germany. Löwenstein is my first professional station after my training. I am a medical device technician. I was able to complete that successfully and then start working as a medical technician. Alongside my job, I started a part-time distance learning program in industrial engineering. I come from a technical background, and I stay connected to technology through my tech-focused work at ARCHEMED.

What is ARCHEMED and how did you get involved?

ARCHEMED is a non-profit organization. I was introduced to this field by my father, who is a medical technician and has collaborated with ARCHEMED on equipment donations. Prior to my assignment, my colleague Jörg Nordhoff was on location for the mother and child clinic project in Keren. I took over his project, and several more projects have since been added. My work does not only take place in Eritrea. Last year, I also traveled to Shkodra, Albania, with a pediatrician on a reconnaissance trip to assess a neonatal unit and determine how we could provide assistance and technical support in the future.

What motivated you to go to Eritrea? What motivates you?

Eritrea is a faraway country and a trip there was my first opportunity to travel outside of Europe. That was my initial motivation. You see the affluent society in Germany, and after nine hours, you arrive in a completely different world. I want to help where it’s needed, using the skills from my profession. And I want to make myself useful. Ultimately, it’s a selfish act. I do it for me. In Eritrea, there are different challenges when I want to repair a medical device compared to back home. The biggest problem with the devices is the lack of hygiene on-site, which causes them to break down. About the on-site training: In Eritrea, a person cannot independently choose a profession. One is assigned. Studying is an absolute privilege. This situation leads to motivation problems. Punctuality is also a problem. Sometimes it gets to be 4 pm, although the appointment was for 2 pm. Some staff experience significant frustration, and a lot of patience is required. There is a completely different mentality there. We’re trying to bring some structure to it. I take it with a sense of humor.

How does your family feel about you working as a medical technician in Eritrea?

My family worries about me, especially when I’m unreachable for a week or two. I have three sisters and one brother, all of them medical technicians. To reduce their anxiety, I just flipped the dynamic of who’s worrying: I took my ‘little’ (older) sister with me to Eritrea, and she’s enthusiastic about both the country and the work. In February, I’m taking my oldest sister with me to show her what it’s like on-site. Eritrea is not the safest place. It is a dictatorship and is also known as the “North Korea” of Africa. There is no mobile network. The government issues SIM cards. Our project leader has a SIM card. I see it as ‘refreshing’ to not be reachable on social media for a change.

What do you do in your free time in the evening?

We sit down together to plan and arrange the next day and go over things. There are often invitations. The local people are very hospitable. We have good relations with the German embassy and talk to the German representation about politics in the country. I speak with the other people on the teams, including surgeons and doctors. I work on a cross-project basis. I handle the medical technology for all projects. That’s quite a lot. I speak to many people. We talk about ways to help and support, the timing of the next sea freight container, and related matters.

Could you give us an overview of your activities in Eritrea? What does a typical day of your assignment look like from an organizational perspective?

I live in a fairly old hotel and meet the team on site in the morning for breakfast and to discuss the project. We have a project discussion every day. The first stop is then the so-called biomedical workshop. This building houses technicians who work in the different hospitals in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea. Every hospital has a technician who takes care of all technical challenges, from water pipes to ventilators and anesthesia machines. I then carry out training on the devices with the technicians on site. Then I go to the ward, like a building technician, and look at the medical equipment. Then the technical work begins. It’s about repairing appliances. Like turning two devices into one. On another day, I’ll unload a container of goods. This requires extensive coordination with the government and the pharmacy, which takes an entire day. My position as project manager has a detailed job description and clear definition of the project work to be done.

Have there been any positive changes compared to when you first started working in Eritrea?

There have definitely been positive changes. The mother and child clinic in Keren² was completed. The craftsmen and technicians in the interdisciplinary team have spent ten years working on it. That’s a great improvement. Some mothers travel from the mountains, 100 km away, to give birth there. Child mortality has been reduced. This success is always the achievement of the entire team. My work is voluntary and unpaid. But at some point, you end up ‘trapped’ on-site. When I’m repairing a life-support ventilator, trying to get it running again while a child depends on it at that very moment – which fortunately worked out. It is beautiful to see the smiles of perfectly healthy children coming back for check-ups a year or two later.”

Are there any risks or problems to look out for during your stay in Eritrea? What precautions or special measures do you take?

Yes, you need to take precautions. Keren is located in the malaria area. Vaccinations are essential. I have colleagues who had dengue fever, and I myself contracted a rotavirus infection while on assignment. You have to be prepared for that. Traveling to the country itself involves risks. And Eritrea is a dictatorship. You have to conform, watch what you say, aren’t allowed to take photos of government buildings, and can’t criticize the government. The German government has issued a travel warning for the country. The country’s population is roughly half Muslim and half Christian, coexisting peacefully. The “advantages” of a dictatorship are the severe prison sentences imposed for offenses. My girlfriend fears for my safety. That’s why I’ve kept my trips down to one week at a time. This week, we have no contact; we don’t know what’s going on.

You communicate in English in your on-site project. How well does this language choice work in practice, and have there been any particular challenges?

Communication in English works very well because schooling is mandatory there, and people learn English at school. Over the course of ten on-site assignments, you gradually learn more and more of the Tigrinya language. Currently, I plan more than two deployments per year, and that’s not going to stop. I am able to effect change locally. That inspires me. You see the effects right away! Of course, there are technical challenges with all the different brands and manufacturers. I usually message our WhatsApp family group to get an answer. Otherwise, it’s a case of learning by doing, getting trained on various devices in Germany, and reading documentation.

Do you have a special story or experience with the people in Eritrea that you’d like to share with us?

During deployment in Keren in March 2025: This baby I’m holding here in my arms was dramatically abandoned by its mother in a ditch and pelted with stones. It was discovered by the police and rescued. Thanks to the medical infrastructure on-site and the trained Eritrean medical staff in our neonatal intensive care unit, this little life was saved. This image symbolizes hope, compassion, and the power of human care that makes the impossible possible.

What can we learn from the people of Eritrea? 

There’s a lot we can learn from Eritrea. The first point is to be satisfied with little. In a community that is second to none in terms of friendliness. The people here give the last thing they have. They deal with many situations with humor, even though life is anything but easy for them. You don’t need the latest iPhone or anything like that. Instead, you ask yourself, what else can I give away, what does my neighbor need? There’s a different social structure here – you can always learn something, especially from the poorest of the poor. That keeps me grounded. 

What do you want for the future? Do you have a vision? 

I hope for a better political situation for Eritrea. I hope our projects will be successful. I want to help people help themselves. The people should be able and empowered to help themselves and their children independently right where they are. It will be a long road. 

What would you like to say to our readers? 

I would like to encourage people to help themselves within their means. You don’t necessarily have to travel to the other side of the world to do this; you can also look around in Germany and find ways to help. 

If you ever feel like doing something like this, feel free to contact Joos Krüger at inspiration@loewensteinmedical.com.

Thank you very much, Joos!