The Importance of Play
A couple months into my fellowship, I realized that I felt far away from the people that I’m here to serve. Working at an organization that doesn’t take part in direct service, it was difficult to feel like I was contributing to the issues I saw every day in Boston. Volunteering gave me a great […]
Of Predictable Surprises and Haitian Nightmares
Insanity is often defined as doing the same thing over and over again yet expecting different results. It is disputable where the saying originated. Albert Einstein, Mark Twain and Rita Mae Brown have all, at some point, been associated with this quote. Whichever mouthpiece you prefer, there is no denying the universal wisdom this line […]
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 […]
The Five Pillars of a Strong Global Health Brand
If there is one lesson I’ve learned from working at the Global Health Delivery (GHD) Project at Harvard University these last few months, it is that the global health field is full of extremely intelligent individuals that are required to maintain expertise in a variety of interdisciplinary skills. GHD’s mission is to build a network […]
The Drum Major Instinct: Rethinking Leadership in Global Health and Beyond
Atlanta, Georgia February 4th, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his final sermon with a clear and lasting message: serve, don’t lead. In particular his reflections centered on the concept of “the drum major instinct,” our collective need as individuals to feel validated by our achievements. To lead and inspire not for the greater good […]
The Secrets of the Baobab
Did you know that the Baobab tree has a fruit? Me neither. The Baobab trees are images often associated with the natural beauty of Malawi, and frequently make their way onto postcards, paintings, and pictures of the country. These large, bulbous trees provide a picture of Malawian wildlife that is simultaneously magnanimous and whimsical. Despite […]
Why Growing Old Is Admirable No More
The word ‘old’ used to be synonymous with the words: respect, wisdom, intelligence, experience, seniority, blessings, leadership. Old persons (“the elderly”) were seen as a source of inspiration and were responsible for nurturing future generations based on their long life experiences with the notion “Experience is the best teacher” being widely accepted. My father once […]
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 […]
Health and Technology, 1 app at a time.
7 weeks before I was scheduled to leave my former job and embark on my Global Health Corp Fellowship, I undertook a seemingly impossible task: to have students at my Health Sciences University, with no prior programming and/or systems design experience, design a mobile app. But deep inside me, I knew we would never pull […]