I got so much trouble on my mind
This nagging feeling is a confusing one. It sits between bereavement and astonishment. It engulfs. It depresses. This feeling rears itself as I scroll my Facebook newsfeed and hear the narratives of our clients at HIPS. Statistics are staggering but the autobiographical narratives reveal the dire straits of our people. Let’s look at our current […]
Superhumans
One of my main reasons for applying for a Global Health Corps fellowship in Uganda was to be closer to the work I was supporting. Before GHC, I worked at the US headquarters of a global health nonprofit organization. I loved it there: interacting with donors, writing about projects I believed in, and learning about […]
If we can’t talk about it, we can’t end it: Playing your part to end violence against children
In my first week at Together for Girls, I learned very quickly that experiencing sexual assault doesn’t make a person a victim, but a survivor; that there’s a difference between coerced and forced sex; that pairing photographed faces of young people next to data on the issue of sexual violence against children is a unanimous […]
DREAMers in Limbo: The Federal Decision to Delay Action on Immigration Reform
June 15, 2012 was a great day in the United States. President Barack Obama issued a ruling that would grant reprieve to hundreds of thousands of undocumented young adults who came to the U.S. as children. Immigrants were finally able to live and work in the U.S. without the threat of deportation and the possibility […]
The Global Health Web
Nearly three month ago I found myself siting on an Adirondack chair on Broadway Triangle. Beauty drew us to this section of town. It was one block from Pierson College, where I along with other global health advocates, were residing. A nice gentle breeze was blowing from Elm Street, carrying with it a tantalizing aroma […]
Happiness Toolkit
Living and working in Uganda isn’t easy. Picture this: you’re working in a country that has totally different customs, languages and cultures (yes, multiple) from your own. So you’re trying to wrap your head around the incredible diversity around you while picking up words in the various languages you hear. You’re trying to learn when […]
Rethinking Incentives for Midwives
According to The State of the World’s Midwifery 2014 Report, there is only an estimated 27% met need of the workforce (midwives and physicians) available to provide midwifery services in Uganda. How do we address the unmet need? Incentives! “What are the incentives? Think about the incentives.” These are phrases I have heard so often […]
The Whole Person
Through my consistent experiences with patients at the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC), a HIV/AIDS care and research facility just outside of Kampala, Uganda, I am reminded of how complex a patient’s experience can be with a chronic illness, especially when it involves pain. The pain of living with HIV is not often a story solely […]
Holistic Health
Global Health Corps is an organization that promotes health equity for all. What does it mean to be well? How does one not contract a disease? Is health just the absence of disease or does it mean more than that? The World Health Organization goes a step further and defines health as “a state of […]
Information Systems: the Secret to Solving Uganda’s Health Problems
It’s interesting how so many ideas have been documented and visualized about improving the health sector in Uganda, while ignoring the fact that an improved health sector starts with health providers being able to work more efficiently and effectively. This involves proper documentation of patient records, proper data storage, and proper feedback mechanisms in order […]