A hungry man needs food first
While on a visit to a relative in the rural areas about five years ago, I encountered an eleven year old boy — half naked, and even the little clothing on his body was in tatters. I was not bothered by his appearance. The educationist in me was only concerned with why he was not […]
The Waiting Game
My youths at Covenant House are constantly waiting. When they do not have health insurance, they wait for hours at the welfare office to apply for New Jersey Medicaid. If (and that is a very uncertain if) they are approved for Medicaid, they have to wait about a month to get their insurance card. After […]
Discovering Kigutu and the Village Health Works
Kanyosha, 29th June. It’s 11:00. Along with Francis, we are taking a bus, heading to Kigutu to join other fellows in the community engagement activities. It may appear as a joke but this was my first time to go upcountry in a public transportation. I used to go there in private or functional cars. In […]
“I would visit you in Africa, but it requires too many shots.”
Someone from home recently said this to me during a Skype conversation. Putting aside the fact that Africa is a continent and not a country, the statement really struck me. I have first-hand knowledge of exactly how many vaccinations are required to safely travel abroad and realize that it’s an expensive and time-consuming process. It […]
ARE WE REALLY DOING ENOUGH TO END GENDER BASED VIOLENCE??
Sunday, 14 July 2013 seemed a normal day to me. I woke up with all the hope that Sunday, being a day that most people go to church and prepare for the beginning of the week, would pass without my eyes seeing or my ears hearing any sad news. Unfortunately, this was not the case. I […]
From the other side of the single story
The most important thing I’ve done this year was follow world news from a place that is not the US. When I moved to Burundi last July, I told myself I’d make an effort to follow the news of the continent, but it didn’t take long for me to become overwhelmed by the inundation of […]
An Evening with Marshall Ganz: Advancing Health Equity from the Ground Up
Growing up in a country run by the military deeply influenced my notion about leading change: national political leadership seemed inherently superior and potentially the most effective platform for dealing with the health disadvantage many Nigerians faced. Graduate study in global health reinforced my convictions. I saw that at the very root of avoidable health […]
Thoughts about my “WHY”
In my bid to stay sane and focused, I occasionally ask myself the question “why”. Why was I born? Why am I doing what I am doing now? Why do I continue to be a part of the movement towards health equity? The last three months of my life have been very eventful with reinforcing […]
Daily Compassion
Remember these? Exactly one year ago we sat down at Yale University and wrote down our “intentions” for our Global Health Corps fellowship year on brightly colored scraps of fabric. It was stunning to see the rainbow of intentions that we each […]