My First 90 days in the USA: Acclimating to an American life
I remember it like it was yesterday, June 27, 2014 – my friends and family, in mass, showed up at Bujumbura International Airport to kiss me goodbye. I was going to the United States – “The Promised Land”, as most of my friends would call it – to serve as a Global Health Corps (GHC) […]
Place Matters: The Role of Community in Health Outcomes
What runs through your mind as you sit in your doctor’s office, waiting to be called? You’re likely wondering about the long wait or hoping to get to the bottom of the aches and pains you’ve been having all week. Or maybe you’re worried about your last visit’s test results. Either way, your zip code […]
Making Changes for the Fishing Communities in Uganda
Ask a resident on Serinyabi or Kaaza islands when they last went to a health center and you may be surprised. The fishing communities that reside on these islands are separated from the nearest health facility by an hour long boat ride. The cost and unreliability of public boat transportation make accessing a health facility […]
Learning to Look Both Ways
Despite being one of the least motorized regions in the world, Africa bears the highest burden of road traffic fatalities. Working in Rwanda for the past three months as a Global Health Corps Fellow, numerous colleagues have shared distressing stories of family members and acquaintances killed in accidents. For people living in Rwanda traffic accidents […]
Why I Fell In Love With Research
I must admit, I was not always a fan of research. At some point, I actually bought into the myth that it was one of the most boring aspects of science. Today I am glad to say that that is no longer my view. From my own research as a public health student as well […]
Monitoring Media: Critical Ebola Questions We’re Not Asking
Over the past few months, I have been closely monitoring international media coverage surrounding the unfolding Ebola epidemic in West Africa as part of my role as the Communications Fellow at IntraHealth International. Somewhere in-between scattered piles of newspaper clippings, blaring audio reports, and confusing proxy manipulations to get by New York Times’ free trial […]
Global Health Work in Africa: a Passion or a Calling?
Development work in Africa for many is a calling to help people met by a commitment to provide solutions for poverty-related issues. For some, their work in Africa is in response to a call or request to provide special expertise in an area of desperate need. For me, it was a glorious fight for a […]
The Intersection of Health and Public Transport in Uganda
Looking at my worn-out shoes reveals how much I have traveled within Uganda over the past few months. But moving on road from place to place in this beautiful country is no ordinary experience you could just pass your eyes over; from vehicles weaving through potholed roads to starting random conversations with strangers especially when […]
The “Unveiled” Social Determinants of Health for Mothers
Mama Aisha (not her real name), the first wife in a polygamous marriage, goes to the garden every morning from 6:00am until 11:00am, when she comes home to prepare lunch. In the afternoon she goes to a tailoring class and mid-week she finds time to go to the village bank. In the evenings Mama Aisha […]
Why I Choose To Educate
In as much as I agree with the fact that health care systems contribute a great deal to the achievement of good health, I do not subscribe to initiatives that focus on treatment other than prevention of poor health outcomes. Peoples’ opportunities for health are strongly influenced by the social and economic conditions in which […]