I hereby want to share yet another reason why GHC will always succeed: sending us out by twos!
Of course, the point is not just having a “co-fellow,” but rather, what kind of co-fellow we have, we are. Better yet, “what made us GHC’s”.
I, personally, haven’t had many occasions to gather with all the fellows in my country, but the rare occasions I have had have been a wake-up call, a reminder of why I joined GHC in the first place, and this has strengthened my resolve to pursue the very goals of GHC.
I remember this time while in Butaro (Northern Rwanda) with my co-fellow. Every morning, we’d walk the 2km or so from the dorms to our construction site, and we always had things to talk about. I personally was very eager to talk about anything that came to my mind. It was very easy to talk to her; and not because our views were identical, but mostly because we both valued the same things when it came to how we view the world around. We all understand and agree with the core values of GHC. We are all committed to social justice and thus are against all and any injustices.
Every time I walked the roads/paths of Butaro and met a kid on his way to fetch water very early in the morning (and in the cold), I couldn’t help thinking how we both were born the same way, but that injustice and injustice alone, “sealed”, so to speak, our fates!
Now, this fellowship year has trained me to live by “human” values, to remember that through whatever I do, through my designs, there is a way to address prejudice, injustice, inequality, racism, etc.
In Rwanda, a saying states: “nta wuvuma iritararenga” (literally, “no one should curse a day that hasn’t fully passed by”), which suggests that everyone is at least entitled to have a dream, a future, hope! Regardless of our background, each of us should just do what he/she can to help attain that goal! And that’s what GHC has helped us do: show us that this goal is within our reach, if we do it together!
Go Global Health Corps! Keep up the good work! And… keep finding the right “co-fellow”, ones that keep reminding each other why we all have a role to play!