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. […]
My Exodus
Walking away from my college hostel had never been so hard. For years, I awaited the day I would be done with college: the cafeteria food prepared with minimal effort, the small dorms requiring innovation to find space for my guitar. I was finally done with the cold showers and low water pressure resultant from […]
Health Reform is Here to Stay
It has been 17 days since the American federal government was shut down by the political posturing of a small, deluded faction of the Republican Party. Thankfully, just when we were on the verge of hitting the debt ceiling and unleashing a veritable economic disaster, they came to their senses and reached an agreement with […]
Ever Shifting Perspectives
Before I moved here, I considered Malawi to be a relatively unassuming country. It doesn’t come up very often in world news. Apart from a few Madonna-related stories and controversies, Malawi maintains a relatively low profile globally. When I found out I was moving here for my GHC fellowship, knowing next to nothing about the […]
‘Kwicekagura’
Kwicekagura. Kwee-chee-ka-goo-ra. My ever-patient colleagues laugh, lounging on the motorcycles pulled into the front room of the office, as I mumble and repeat. Dusk is falling outside. Thunder rumbles ominously. Many of the words they have taught me in these informal, end-of-the-day lessons I have forgotten; many I never fully understood. This word, however, I […]
Scaling up nutrition for mother and children!
Hello Global Health World! It’s with a great pleasure and honor to greet you today. My name is Afadhali Diallo from Rwanda, pharmacist by career, a Global Health Corps fellow and Supply Chain Analyst at Clinton Health Access Initiative. Working for a reason to make impact in people’s lives is one of the best things […]
Kibeho: The Holy Land
Kibeho is my place for this year-long fellowship. It is a small site located in the southern part of Rwanda in the administrative District of Nyaruguru. It is a three hours drive from Kigali, the capital of Rwanda and only 30kilometers from Butare, a place where I spent four years getting my undergraduate degree. I […]