Why do we need to empower women?
Women constitute the largest population of the world. In other words they are the most important component of every society. In most parts of Malawi especially in rural areas, women are the ones that do most of the work to feed their families. They work in gardens and other critical activities such as raising children […]
What to expect when you’re not expecting: Reflections from Boston
“I shouldn’t tell you this, but I don’t even know who our safety captain is,” I told a GHC staff member over the phone as I “sheltered in place” in my boyfriend’s room in Cambridge, MA last Friday. At our initial orientation at Yale, we were grouped by our placement countries to discuss emergency plans and […]
A city boy gone rural
One of the good things that this fellowship did is allow me to leave Buja, the main city of Burundi, to go live and work in a rural zone. From a city boy point of view, all I knew about the rural zones of Burundi was what I use to see while going on a […]
A Beautiful Day
Today was a beautiful day in Kyangwali. The morning starts with the usual wake up with a cold (but refreshing) bucket shower and instant coffee as I rush for the car at 7:30 AM. At the office power normally doesn’t go on for a while so we chat about the night (last night […]
Why Not Family Planning?
It was about 10 AM on a bright Saturday morning when I visited Mr. Hussein’s household in a small village in Eastern Uganda. A father of 21 children, Mr. Hussein is a peasant farmer and one of the 3 productive members of his family – the other being his 2 peasant sons. I am certain […]
Is GHC a Community of Solidarity and Social Justice within Itself?
It is now somewhat clear that individuals venturing into the social entrepreneurship scope are doing so with a legitimate objective and mission to create a better life for others and to also reduce the social injustice and hardship the helpless, oppressed and discriminated against face every day. In my time as a GHC fellow so […]
Confronting a System Where Statistics Often Outlive People
“Where do people earn the Per Capita Income? More than one poor starving soul would like to know. In our countries, numbers live better than people. How many people prosper in times of prosperity? How many people find their lives developed by development?” […]
Uganda – a single story no more
“All I know about Uganda is Idi Amin. Anak, be careful,” my uncle said, a month before I left for the fellowship. What I knew about Uganda before I came was very limited as all the single stories I heard from American media included Joseph Kony, Ebola outbreaks, HIV/AIDS, corruption, and gorillas. After 8 months […]
Graduation Speech
Remember that one time where I cried hysterically into a microphone in front of the vice president of Uganda and 200 or so additional onlookers? I do. It happened last week. My co-Fellow Latifah’s family was hosting a make-up graduation celebration for her and her brother. In any Ugandan event or official occasion, it is […]
Embracing Self-care while at Your GHC Placement
As Global Health Corps fellows we are placed in critical roles at our placement site, which can place a huge burden on the mind and body. Imagine taking overachieving and compassionate people who have mastered every challenge imaginable (the amount of Phi Beta Kappa recipients, college graduates with Latin letters, multiple degree earners, entrepreneurs, athletes, […]