Kilimanjaro and Climate Change: Forget Hemingway, Think Health
(Sunrise from near Mt. Kilimanjaro’s highest point. Photo Credit: David Budiac, climbing partner) Uhuru Peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro. September 29th, 2013, 6:15 AM. Altitude: 5,895 meters above mean sea level—Africa’s highest point. Air pressure: 497 hectopascals—a little over half that of the savannas far below. Humidity: 10%—drier than a typical desert. Temperature: -5.5 […]
The view
I sit at a desk in the Butaro Hospital pharmacy every day, facing a tall window that looks into the courtyard where patients gather and wait for their clinic visits. We sit facing one another, but it seems they usually don’t see me. The fountain ledge where they rest is about 30 feet away and […]
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 […]
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 […]
‘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 […]
Challenging the barriers to health care by challenging our values
When settling into a new country, one must go through a process, if you may, in order to adapt to his or her new surroundings. Moves aren’t easy, but as humans we’re wired to acclimate to our surroundings for survival. It’s been two months since I started my fellowship here in Uganda, and it’s been […]
A New User’s Guide to Implementation
Before joining Global Health Corps, I worked for two years in Washington, D.C. as a strategy consultant. In my role, I evaluated market conditions for business and product development and supported the formation of M&A strategies. In doing so, I brainstormed ideas, constructed models, drafted documents, and delivered presentations to clients. After delivering the final […]
High school all over again: On fitting in
I am walking around aimlessly, watching 128 teenagers joke and flirt with each other and feeling entirely out of place. The teenagers are sitting on blankets spread out on the grass, laughing and chatting as they work diligently on the project of the day: constructing handmade school books that they will use for lessons and […]