Learning to Put the “Social” in “Social Media”
It seems a little like cheating to write my first blog post about, well, blogging. But I’ve been thinking back about a week-long period last month that revolved in one way or another around social media that it’s really the only thing I can think of to talk about. I’ve never been one to blog. […]
ICFP 2013 Reflections: Maternal & Child Health, Family Planning… and NTDs
As a current Global Health Corps (GHC) fellow, I was fortunate to attend the 2013 International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) last week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, jointly organized by the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia and the Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health. With a theme of “Full Access, Full Choice,” I was consistently inspired and challenged […]
Option B+ for every woman?
One of the projects that I work on at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is a research study assessing the acceptability of option B+ among pregnant and lactating women in select sites in Malawi. In 2011, Malawi rolled out the Option B+ policy, which mandates health care workers (HCWs) to put every pregnant and […]
The gap between the ‘here’ and ‘there’
There is a phrase in Hebrew, my native tongue, which can be roughly translated as “What can be seen from here, cannot be seen from over there.” It can be used in many contexts but when it comes to my work in Burundi, I see it as pertaining to the dividing gap between the “office” […]
The circumcision solution: Is it a poisoned chalice?
I am a huge fan of debates and I have a cut-and-dry opinion on a whole gamut of issues. Aside from the fact that debates give me that sizzling rush of hormones in my blood, for the most part, they help me clarify my own values and worldview in a way that reading a book, […]
Elephants & Community
In the last two hours I have: seen one hippo lethargically dance across an arid riverbed, witnessed a large male baboon assert his dominance in a heated call to his tribe, protested a group of monkeys stealing both our food and anti-malarial medications (thankfully for both us and the monkeys we got the medications back), […]
Heroes in no-man’s land; Angels in Bwera Hospital.
Having been brought up in a rather modest but very disciplined home, I learned quite early to be quick to offer gratitude and honest praise to anyone that affects my life positively or deserves the gratitude. I know how revitalizing and inspiring a simple thank you can be to others’ efforts. I, however, also want to […]
Malawi First Quarter Highlights
Highlights of my first quarter in Malawi: One. Driving around the southern region for a male circumcision campaign: yes. Strange though it may seem, MC (as it’s called) has been shown to reduce transmission of HIV by 60%. (That’s a lot!) As such, the government has made it a priority and I was able to accompany […]
Snacking on Success
“Can you tell me a little more about the strengths of your group?” [Silence.] Hmmm… how can I rephrase this? “What do you feel you have accomplished?” [Silence.] After a robust 30-minute discussion about challenges, I thought I’d struck luck with a verbose crowd. But when I asked about successes, I could hear distant chickens […]
Who else if not me?
Life is about making the right decisions and choosing the right path. I have always fancied living in the city and getting all the things I have always dreamed of since my childhood days. However, with time I have realized that there is more to life than just being born and raised in the city. […]