Being born in a country where public health is an everyday challenge and growing up in a country where women and children die because we lack skilled health care professionals, drugs, and health infrastructure is enough to make anyone pessimistic. Talking about change can be seen as just a distraction, especially for the mother sitting near a road, deep in rural Burundi, who has lived through those realities for decades. The same goes for the Burundian man who might go through his daily routine without considering what is just for his wife, simply wanting to pass on a sizable inheritance and have lots of children.

Global Health Corps, by recruiting young, ambitious, and passionate people from all academic disciplines to work in the field of public health, offers a unique opportunity to its fellows: to see, feel and experience the joy of serving in a complex world where the challenges are enormous and shared – a world where change is possible, a world where optimism is necessary to save lives. This optimism is part of Global Health Corps’s contribution to its fellows, especially for fellows like me who are born in a country like mine – Burundi. I and many others regularly see or experience the health challenges that face many African mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons. Growing up, I did my best to work hard to arrive at a point where I could be part of the change and give a little hope to the environment around me.

It is with both a passion for change and, admittedly, some self-doubt that this fellow discusses his first moments of the fellowship. My self-doubt stems in part from my background in communication sciences and not medical sciences, social sciences and specifically not public health. But GHC, through its tight-knit community, has helped me overcome those doubts. I am fortunate to have arrived in a place where fellows with radically different experiences and stories support one another. Our common ground is an indescribable passion for change.

Our training institute at Yale University was only the first stage of what feels like a continuous exercise of challenge and encouragement. Going into training, I felt challenged by the magnitude of global health crises in front of me – those that would present themselves during my fellowship year and down the road in the unforeseen future. At the same time, I felt encouraged because I knew I had become part of the movement of people that share a common motivation and commitment for change. Because of that community, GHC’s training institute helped remove many of my fears. Feeling like I belong to a great global family is something truly special. My global family takes on the biggest challenges in global health, everything from Ebola to HIV to reproductive health.

Getting to my placement organization was the second step – a big step – of the fellowship. Day to day as a fellow, I slowly learn to drive forward the change that I want to see in the world. That sometimes means acting in an office environment to help implement a new policy, coordinate finances, publicize our organization’s work, or help develop a new monitoring and evaluation plan. Other times, it’s out in the field, in the thick of the society that we are called to live in, learn from, understand, and change.

My time in this fellowship has been filled with experiences that affect my thinking and emotions. The whole experience fills you with joy and discovery. I feel useful because I’m helping other people improve their health. This type of environment, this fellowship, and the encouragement and support it provides helps you realize that you can really contribute. God knows, it helps you become passionate about health work like never before.

GHC’s training institute at Yale – especially thanks to the reflective Still Harbor sessions – helped to fill me with passion for public health, a hunger for personal growth, and an optimism that I have tried to apply to my work ever since I returned to Burundi.

I arrived at my placement organization, Population Media Center, to help coordinate a behavior-changing radio drama called Agashi (Kirundi for “Hey! Look Again!”). Our project aims to improve the lives of women and children by focusing on maternal health, reproductive health, and child nutrition. Since day one, the fellowship has helped me discover the beauty of working in public health and my passion for my work increases every day. Working alongside my co-fellow, Alex, has helped to make my time in Burundi as a GHC fellow rewarding and inspiring.

Sacha and Alex

I feel most valued and most able to contribute when we are up-country, in rural Burundi, promoting our radio drama through promotional caravans. While we promote the show, we discuss best-practices for health behaviors linked to the likes of family planning and child nutrition. Interacting with communities and our listeners during our nationwide monitoring and evaluation efforts is also fulfilling because it provides the evidence that change is possible.

It’s amazing to see illiterate mothers understand the relevance of adopting contraceptive methods in order to better manage their health, provide for their families, and plan for their children’s futures. These experiences and others have increased my passion for the work I do. What I’m doing this year, through health promotion and GHC, is absolutely not done in vain. In Burundi, our work helps to reduce maternal and infant mortality, informs people about good nutritional practices, and encourages communities to practice good personal hygiene. Being a part of that is incredible.

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