- Kenya
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Long the hub of trade and finance in East Africa, Kenya emerged from British colonialism in 1963 under the leadership of the dynamic Jomo Kenyatta, who served as the country’s President until his death in 1978. Kenya has long struggled with corruption, and violence has plagued elections through the 1990s and even as recently as 2007. The two major parties now have a “power sharing” arrangement for the offices of President and Prime Minister. Developed with input from shareholders in all sectors,
On the global Human Development Index, Kenya typically ranks between 148-151 out of 177 countries. Annual GDP grew steadily and above five percent (5%) in the early to mid-2000s but by 2008 slowed due to persistent drought, election-related violence, corruption, and the global economic downturn. Kenya maintains that it will reach its Millennium Development Goals (MDG) despite slow progress in all areas except education. Between 1960 to 1990,
Resource links:
http://www.afro.who.int/en/kenya/country-health-profile.html
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ke.html.
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September-October 2009
Amy Wood
Kijabe, Kenya
University of Colorado, Denver HealthAs of November 2009, Amelia (Amy) Wood is new faculty of the University of Colorado where she works as an Instructor of Neonatology. Her main hospital of service is Denver Health which is the primary site for indigent care in the city of Denver allowing Amy to provide health care for those newborns at greatest risk in the city. However, Denver Health is also the hospital where the University of Colorado pediatric residents receive the bulk of their hands on training. Therefore, Amy has the great pleasure of being both a clinician and an educator.
Amy did her residency in general pediatrics at Vanderbilt University. Then she completed a fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at the University of Colorado in late September 2009 while working at the Bethany Kid's Kijabe Hospital in rural Kenya. During fellowship Amy focused her research on the educational process of training pediatric providers to care for sick infants. She continues to work on methods of improving education to help doctors prepare for their tiniest patients. She hopes to use this information in training both U.S. doctors and doctors in the developing world.
Amy is married to Jim Wood who is on the long track toward becoming a pediatric surgeon. Kijabe Hospital is of particular interest to the Wood's as it is a nationally recognized center of excellence in medical education, preparing health care workers for medical and surgical care of disabled children and infants. Amy and Jim are thinking of joining the Kijabe team long term once Jim has completed training. They spent 6 weeks there in the fall 2009 with their infant son Josiah "testing the waters."
5 October 2009 From Kenya: Amelia Wood at Kijabe Hospital
15 October 2009 Taking Care of Newborns: Global Health Leader Amelia Wood
3 November 2009 Special Moments from Kijabe: From Amelia Wood
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October-November 2010
Greg Schnepper
Kijabe, Kenya
Resident, Department of Anesthesiology at Vanderbilt University Medical CenterMy name is Gregory Schnepper. I’m currently a senior anesthesiology resident at
4 November 2010: First Impressions: Greg Schnepper, MD Arrives at Kijabe Hospital
19 November 2010: Leaving Kijabe Hospital: A Reflection
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January-February 2011
Rebecca Cook
Lwala, Kenya; Kijabe, Kenya
Vanderbilt School of MedicineRebecca Cook is currently a senior medical student at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. She was born and raised in Kenya, where she lived until she was 17 years old. She earned her BS in Biology with a minor in International Studies at Wake Forest University and her MSc(s) in Medical Anthropology and Global Health Science before starting medical studies at Vanderbilt in 2007. During medical school she has had the opportunity to work with Vanderbilt's HIV/AIDS treatment program in Mozambique where she studied the early infant diagnosis program for infants born to HIV-positive mothers. She has also been active throughout her four years of medical school in caring for underserved patients in Nashville through the Shade Tree Family Clinic and Siloam family health center.
In the spring 2011, she will spend 2 months in Kenya where she will work at Lwala Community Health Center in January and Kijabe Hospital in February. She's looking forward to the opportunity to serve in her home country and community, the combination of primary care and inpatient tertiary care in her experience, as well as the chance assist and encourage busy health providers with daily clinical care as well as community health projects. Rebecca will enter residency training in Internal Medicine-Pediatrics in July 2011 where she hopes to continue to pursue a calling to serve the underserved and ultimately return to the developing world. She is passionate about clinical care, medical education, and community-based and outcomes research.
9 January 2011: Lwala, Kenya: Arrival of Vandy Medical Student
27 January 2011: Reflections on a Month of Clinical Care in Lwala
9 February 2011: Community Health in Lwala, Kenya
25 February 2011: Moments in Kijabe: Medicine in the Male Ward
7 March 2011: Taking Care of Baby E: Peds Ward in Kenya
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February-March 2011
Steve Badger
Kijabe, Kenya
Chief Resident in the Department of Anesthesiology at Vanderbilt University Medical CenterMy name is Stephen Badger. I am Chief Resident in the Department of Anesthesiology at
22 February 2011: Stamping Out Pain in Kenya, One Patient at a Time
25 March 2011: Vanderbilt Anesthesiologist Leaves Kijabe Hospital
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July-August 2011
Julie Shelton
Kijabe, Kenya
Vanderbilt Department of SurgeryJulia Shelton graduated from the Medical College of Georgia in 2006. There she received the Merck manual award for academic excellence and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. She has completed three years of clinical surgical training at Vanderbilt University and is currently completing her Master of Public Health focusing on health services research and surgical education. Her research time afforded her the opportunity to present her work at the Association for Surgical Education, the Association for Academic Surgery, and the Southeastern Surgical Congress among others. She looks forward to resuming her clinical training; starting in Kijabe and then returning to Nashville, Tennessee and beyond as she pursues her goal of becoming an academic pediatric surgeon involved in research, clinical activities, and surgical education. She is excited to join those already working at the Kijabe Hospital and hopes that the next time she returns she can be joined by her husband and two children.
10 August 2011: In the Casualty Ward: Helping and Healing in Kijabe, Kenya
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September-October 2011
Sina Iranmanesh
Kijabe, Kenya
Vanderbilt Department of SurgerySina Iranmanesh grew up in Tampa, Florida where he attended the University of South Florida for both his undergraduate and medical degrees. As a medical student he worked extensively with Project World Health, visiting the Dominican Republic each year for one week at a time, seeing patients of all ages in makeshift clinics and even observing a few surgical procedures. His interests include music, athletics (running, tennis, snowboarding), and traveling. Currently he has begun his fourth year of general surgery residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is thrilled at being given another opportunity to return to a developing nation to continue treating underserved patients. He hopes that upon finishing his training he will continue to participate in international mission trips.
12 October 2011: Lessons Learned in Kijabe
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October-November 2011
Walter Schratt
Kijabe, Kenya
Vanderbilt Department of SurgeryWalter Schratt is a board certified German general surgeon. Since July 2010, a resident at the Department of General Surgery at Vanderbilt University. Attended medical school in Munich, Germany, residency at the Department of Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Germany. Years of experience in general and thoracic surgeon as vice-chairman of a community hospital surgical department and as attending in private practice. He moved to the US in 2008, redoing parts of residency for certification as general surgeon in the US. Currently, he is on a 4-week international rotation at AIC Kijabe hospital in Kijabe, Kenya. He holds medical licenses for Germany, the UK and temporarily for Kenya.
1 November 2011: Kijabe: An Island of Hope in a Country of Medical Need
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October-November 2011
Allison Greening
Kijabe, Kenya
Vanderbilt International AnesthesiaThe picture of me (on the left) was taken at our annual Vanderbilt International Anesthesia fundraiser, just a couple weeks ago. The residents put on a ranch party, with a band, food and drink, and a silent and live auction to raise money for the international anesthesia program. The program is why I came all the way to Vanderbilt, from my mountain west life in Albuquerque, NM, for my residency. I had hoped to do international work during medical school, even had vague dreams of wanting to be a doctor in Africa as a child, but was side tracked along the way with a brief career as a chemical engineer and research that kept me from traveling during medical school. Now that the time is finally here I’m excited, thrilled, and mildly terrified by the prospect of living my dream and all the unknown that comes with it. As part of my trip I’ll take a week of vacation and attempt to summit Mt Kilimanjaro with a bicycle racing-turned backpacking friend from Albuquerque. Practicing and teaching anesthesia in Kenya and climbing Kilimanjaro are similarly familiar things in unfamiliar environments. Though I consider myself a solid senior resident with four years experience doing all sorts of cases, I’ve never used halothane, or likely much of the equipment we’ll be working with. I’ve backpacked my whole life, and spent plenty of time at 12-, 13-, and even 14,000’, but trying to get to 19,500’ is something totally new. The next four weeks promise to test me in many ways, and I’ll chronicle the journey with regular updates via blog and photos of what I find along the way.
4 November 2011: Pediatric Anesthesia in Kijabe Hospital
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December 2011
Matt Landman
Kijabe, Kenya
Vanderbilt International Surgery28 November 2011: The Cost of Healthcare in Rural Kenya
3 January 2012: Appendectomies in a New Light: Poverty and Surgery in Kenya
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January 2012
Joseph Schlesinger
Kijabe, Kenya
Vanderbilt International AnesthesiaJoseph J. Schlesinger is currently a resident physician in the Department of Anesthesiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Through the BH Robbins Scholar program at Vanderbilt, he is pursuing his research interests around anesthesiology education and multisensory integration by working with the Vanderbilt Brain Institute. His research interests began in while in medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston when he traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico for a summer to research traveler’s diarrhea. Medicine is not his only passion; he started playing the piano at the age of five and subsequently earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music with a concentration in jazz piano performance from Loyola University New Orleans. The field of anesthesiology allows him to employ the creativity developed as a musician to anesthesia by striving to provide effective, safe, and efficient patient care. Both Joe and his wife, Kira, an Episcopal clergywoman, have a passion for global health and treating the whole patient, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Joe and Kira hope to continue incorporating that passion for global health into their practice where they can provide care, prayer, and education for those that need it most.
22 January 2012: In the Operating Theatre: Kijabe Hospital
return to top - Mozambique
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Despite economic progress,
July 2008
Senator Frist Travels to Mozambique with Africare, Millennium Challenge Corporation and Save the Children
11 July 2008 Senator Frist Goes to Africa
13 July 2008 Senator Frist in Vanduzi Town, Mozambique
14 July 2008 Africare: Vanduzi Town, Mozambique
14 July 2008 Millennium Challenge Corporation: Maputo, Mozambique
15 July 2008 Surgery, Orphanage, Technology, and Save the Children
16 July 2008 Millennium Challenge Corporation: Nampula Province
18 July 2008 Save the Children: Nacala Village, Mozambique
return to top - Nigeria
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With 154.7 million people, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country. Three major ethnic groups with distinct languages reside in Nigeria: the Hausas in the North, Yorubas in the West and Ibos in the East. There are also many minor ethnic groups besides these three. About 50% of the Nigerian population is moslem with the majority residing in the North and the other 50% is Christian and mainly reside in the South. A small percentage of the populace practices African traditional religion.
Nigeria formally became a country with the amalgamation of the North and South by British colonial administrator, baron Lugard in 1914. However, the history of the people of Nigeria dates back to long before the British and Portuguese colonized the land. The Nok art of central Nigeria dates to about 9000 B.C,. and suggests a social structure similar to ancient Egyptian culture existed in what is now Nigeria around the late Pharonic period. In the 12th to 15th centuries, powerful ancient Fulani, Yoruba, Benin and Nri (Ibo) kingdoms emerged and ruled the region until British colonization in the 19th century. Nigerian ethnic identification however, still remains along the lines of the ancient kingdoms.
Nigeria gained her independence from the British in 1960 and since then has gone through a series of mixed democratic and military dictatorships. This past 11year period between 1999 and 2011 has been the longest stretch of democratically elected civilian rule since Nigeria’s independence in 1960.
As an oil producing OPEC member, most of Nigeria’s GDP comes from oil revenue and Nigeria’s economy continues to grow. However, there is inequity in the distribution of resources. This is exemplified by access to, and utilization of healthcare resources. The WHO update on Nigeria’s health profile reports that of the poorest 20% of the population, only 8% give birth to children in the presence of skilled health professionals in contrast to 86% of the wealthiest 20%. Similarly, only 17% of the poorest 20% have immunized their one-year-old children against the measles virus in contrast to 75% of the wealthiest 20%. Like most other African countries, Nigeria has a critical shortage of health care professionals with an average of only 4 physicians per 10,000 people (compared to 26.7 physicians per 100 people in the United States).*****
August 2011
Omo Aisagbonhi
Ogbomoso, Nigeria
Vanderbilt School of MedicineI was born and raised in Nigeria. I came to America for college when I was 17 years old. I attended sunny California State University, Long Beach, graduated in 2004 with a BS in Biochemistry and a minor in Spanish. After college, I joined the Vanderbilt Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) and obtained my PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology in 2010. I will be graduating from medical school next year. The Frist Global Health Leaders Program gave me the opportunity to gain first-hand exposure to the areas of medical need in Ogbomoso, Nigeria and I hope to settle permanently in Africa – either home in Nigeria, or in Uganda, from where my fiancé originates – after my residency training.
2 August 2011: Cases from Ogbomoso, Nigeria at Bowen University Training Hospital
18 August 2011: Making the Rounds: Ogbomoso, Nigeria
return to top - Rwanda
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Today, thanks in part to massive donor support,
Although nearly half of Rwandans live below the poverty level and rely on subsistence agriculture, average per capita income is steadily growing. But
Resource links: http://www.who.int/countries/rwa/en/
July 2008
Senator Frist Travels to Rwanda with ONE Campaign
Senator Bill Frist, M.D., Chair of the ONE Vote '08 Campaign, traveled with ONE's(www.one.org) bipartisan commission (including Cindy McCain, Tom Daschle, Mike Huckabee, Jon Podesta, Mike Gerson, and others) to witness the usage of U.S. development assistance, PEPFAR, President's Malaria Intiative and Global Fund funding throughout the country. They were there to listen to the people and learn what was working and what could be done so that further aid could be given in the future. Traveling to various areas, this group saw the growth of agricultural development, job development (especially for women), corporate development, and health care development. Senator Frist wrote several blogs during his time there, and we invite you to discover what he learned during this trip.
18 July 2008: Arrive in Kigali, Rwanda
19 July 2008: ONE and Rwanda: Vision 2020
19 July 2008, 11am: A Conversation at the Hotel des Mille Collines
19 July 2008, 3pm: Nyandugu Coffee Washing Station
20 July 2008: Church, Gorillas, and the Economic Pie
21 July 2008: Health, Medicine as a Currency for Peace in Rwanda
26 July 2008: Voice of America, Frist Interview
6 August 2008: Meeting with President Paul Kagame
*****
September -December 2009
Kelly Tschida
Nyamata, Rwanda
Vanderbilt School of NursingKelly Tschida graduated August 2009 from Vanderbilt University with a Master of Science in Nursing, specializing as Family Nurse Practitioner. He has a wide variety of experience including work as both firefighter and an emergency medical technician. He spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon helping alleviate poverty through microfinance. In this role he advised banks and small business owners on best business practices. He has a Masters of Business Administration and taught Entrepreneurial Finance at Washington State University. Through these experiences Kelly has come to realize the dire need many people of the world have for basic healthcare. As a result, he has decided to work in global health providing care for the underserved.
Kelly spent his time in the Bugesera District in Nyamata, Rwanda working with the staff in the Nyamata Hospital. His blogs with pictures are listed below.
21 October 2009: First Impressions of Nyamata Hospital: Kelly Tschida
3 November 2009: Washing Hands, Saving Lives -- From Rwanda
18 November 2009: Remembering the Genocide in Nyamata
1 December 2009: Learning from One Another -- At Nyamata Hospital
15 December 2009: Health Center Report
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May-June 2010
Beth O'Connell
Cygera, Rwanda
East Tennessee University: College of Public HealthBethesda O’Connell is completing a Bachelor of Science in Public Health degree with a concentration in Community Health and a minor in Biology and Emergency/Disaster Response Management. Beth is from Kingsport, TN and, her career goals include attending medical school with a long term vision of providing healthcare and being an international health advocate for underserved populations. She visited the Faith and Hope Children’s Home in Cygera, Rwanda in July 2009 through Hope 2.2.1, a non-profit organization based in Blountville, Tennessee; this experience has inspired her to complete her full semester field experience course in Rwanda this summer.
The Faith and Hope Children’s Home is located in the South province of Rwanda and houses twenty orphans; this is where Beth will be living while in Rwanda. Among her work, she will oversee fabrication, placement, and operational training of bio-sand water filtration systems that will provide clean water to several hundred Rwandan residents. Bethesda will also assist in conducting basic hygiene education to local communities.
7 June 2010: Hand Washing, HIV, and H2O: Metrics from Rwanda
21 June 2010: Health Education in Rwanda: Malaria Prevention, Hand Washing, and Safe Water
8 July 2010: Brushing Teeth, Washing Hands, and Nutrition: Continuing Eduation in Rwanda
26 July 2010: Over 1380 people in Cygera, Rwanda Have Received Safe Water Education
return to top - Sierra Leone
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Founded in 1787 by British abolitionists,
September 2008-May 2009
Thomas Dollar
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Princeton UniversityThomas Dollar graduated in 2008 from Princeton University with an AB in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. From 2008 to 2009, he worked as Public Health Intern for Africare in Freetown, Sierra Leone--a Princeton in Africa fellowship, generously funded by Hope through Healing Hands. At Africare, Thomas traveled to field sites in rural villages, collaborated with stakeholders, and reviewed and designed programs to combat HIV/AIDS, reduce childhood mortality and improve water and sanitation. He had the privilege of working with a dedicated national staff at Africare, and was proud to contribute to the improvement of public health in Sierra Leone. He developed a great love for the country and its people, who, despite hardship and poverty, share their generosity and hope for the future. Thomas is an avid outdoorsman and traveler, and has lived in Finland, Spain and Argentina. He currently resides in Washington, DC.
14 October 2008 Letter from Tommy Dollar: Sierra Leone
22 January 2009 Happy New Year! Update from Tommy Dollar, Fellow in Sierra Leone
return to top - South Africa
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The World Bank recently wrote: South Africa’s 1994 transition from apartheid to constitutional democracy has been one of the most astonishing political achievements of our time. Sixteen years post-apartheid, South Africa has one of the strongest economies on the continent of Africa with steady annual increases in outside investment and annual GDP growth rates of almost five percent (5 %). It is an upper middle income country with declining income poverty … but troublesome income inequality across race, gender, and geography. Unemployment remains high – typically above 20%. Over the last few decades, South Africa developed its financial and service sectors including one of the world’s leading stock exchanges. South Africa currently boasts a Human Development Index of 0.67 with adult literacy of over 82% and over 80% of households with piped water and modern sanitation facilities. Nonetheless, life expectancy is low (53 yrs), largely due to high prevalence of HIV among ages 15-49. Indeed, 18% of the people in this age group were HIV positive in 2007.
Following introduction of democracy in 1994, South Africa emphasized “pro poor” development of primary health care and improved access to care with some impressive results: 90-plus percent of the population have access to antenatal care; 84% of births have a skilled attendant; HIV/AIDS Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) is available in 90% of the government’s facilities; and a full 80% of the population is within an hour of a health care facility. South Africa faces a significant challenge from HIV/AIDS. In 2006, a full 29% of pregnant women tested at antenatal clinics were HIV positive. Maternal mortality remains problematic at150 per 100,000 live births and under five child mortality at 55 per 1,000. Tuberculosis, violence, and traffic accident also contribute to excess mortality and morbidity.
Resources:
http://www.afro.who.int/en/south-africa/who-country-office-south-africa.html
*****
May-August 2009
Glenn Quarles
Munsieville, South Africa
East Tennessee State College: College of Public HealthGlenn Quarles was born in Columbia, SC, but he has lived the majority of his life in the East Tennessee Tri-Cities area. He graduated from ETSU in 2007 with a B.S. in Mathematics, and recently he graduated in December 2009 with both a Masters of Public Health (concentration in Epidemiology) and a Graduate Certificate in Rural Health.
His primary hobby is playing the trombone. He is currently in the ETSU Wind Ensemble and just returned from New York City where they played at Carnegie Hall on April 8 of this year. He will be working with Project Hope UK on the Munsieville Model (www.projecthopeuk.org) for the culminating experience of his MPH in South Africa. There are approximately 75,000 orphans and other vulnerable children concentrated in this little township on the outskirts of Johannesburg that are constantly dealing with poverty, AIDS/HIV/TB, and other obstacles that continue to hinder their leading successful lives. Upon returning from South Africa, he will attend medical school either this coming fall or next year. His long-term career goal is to return to Africa as a practicing physician and public health specialist in service to disparate populations in tremendous need.
9 June 2009: Reporting in from South Africa
17 August 2009: From Munsieville, South Africa: Glenn Quarles
25 August 2009: Last Blog from South Africa: Reflections from Glenn Quarles
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May-August 2009
Calandra Miller
Munsieville, South Africa
East Tennessee State College: College of Public HealthCalandra Miller was born in the small town of Pulaski, Virginia. After graduating from Pulaski County High School in 2001, she attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. In 2005, she graduated with a BA in music. After attending a presentation about career opportunities for students, she came to discover public health. Calandra has recently completed her Master of Public Health with an epidemiology concentration at East Tennessee State University. She has both academic and humanitarian interests in global health.
Calandra is excited to take her knowledge of public health principles from the classroom and apply them to a critically underserved population like the township of Munsieville, South Africa. There she worked with Project HOPE UK doing work in HIV/AIDS prevention and education. Her future plans are to attend medical school in the fall of 2010 with the ultimate goal of using medical and public health disciplines to better impact the health of her community as a primary care pediatrician in underserved populations.
10 June 2009: Serving in Munsieville, South Africa
29 June 2009: We are Making Progress
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June-August 2011
Twanda Wadlington
Munsieville, South Africa
ETSU College of Public HealthTwanda D. Wadlington is from Memphis, Tennessee. She attended Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee graduating In 2008, with a BA in Biology. While enrolled at Fisk University, Twanda made the most of numerous internship opportunities including the Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP) at Duke University and the International Scholar Laureate Program (ISLP) Medical Delegation of South Africa. It was at the latter when her interests shifted to Public Health.
Twanda recently completed her Master of Public Health with a Community Health concentration and certification in Epidemiology at East Tennessee State University’s College of Public Health. Before graduating from East Tennessee State University, she had the opportunity to participate in the Dr. James A. Ferguson Emerging Infectious Diseases Fellowship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There she had the opportunity to work and develop the National Center for Health Marketing Campaign Audit Database.Twanda is currently enrolled in the Doctoral Program at East Tennessee State University’s College of Public Health and is looking forward to having the opportunity to return to South Africa and apply the competencies learned in public health to the population of Munseiville, South Africa. There she with work with Project Hope UK’s the Thoughtful Path: Munsieville, a program that seeks to engage the entire community in changing the way orphans and impoverished children are cared for in Munsieville.
30 June 2011: Helping Vulnerable Children Learn Oral Hygiene in Munsieville, South Africa
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June-August 2011
Megan Quinn
Munsieville, South Africa
ETSU College of Public HealthMegan Quinn was born in Titusville, FL. Megan attended Wesleyan College in Macon, GA. In 2005, she received her BA in psychology with minors in biology and neuroscience. Following graduation, Megan gained employment as an Applied Behavior Analysis Therapist and worked with children on the Autism Spectrum. Additionally, she was able to give back to her alma mater and serve as the Women’s Soccer Coach and the Director of Student Activities. After a few years of work experience, Megan attended the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland and received her Master’s of Science in public health research in 2009. Megan is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Public Health program at East Tennessee State University. She will be graduating with an epidemiology concentration in spring 2012.
Megan will be working with Project Hope UK on the Thoughtful Path Program in Munsieville, South Africa. The Thoughtful Path program aims to empower the Munsieville community to change the lives of the orphaned and vulnerable children population. Furthermore, the program has a goal to provide long term, sustainable change in the community, a mission that matches with Megan’s personal beliefs about global health. Megan is excited to develop her public health knowledge and skills in the field, translating what she has learned in the classroom into real life experiences. She is very grateful for this opportunity and feels as though it will continue to expand her view of the world, offer public health training in an underserved community, and provide a foundation for a career in global health.
25 June 2011: Creating Positive Health and Social Change for Kids in Munsieville, South Africa
18 July 2011: ETSU Students in South Africa: Uplifting vulnerable children with aid and social support
return to top - Tanzania
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Once occupied by
By the1990s, it was more stable and investing in education, health, and social services and its agriculture based economy. Public-private partnerships in health care and decentralization of the public sector were notable. Recently, GDP has grown at over 6% annually.
Resources links: http://www.afro.who.int/en/tanzania/who-country-office-tanzania.html
*****
July 2009-May 2010
Krista Ford
Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
Princeton UniversityKrista was born in Washington D.C. and spent most of her childhood there before moving to Maryland. She graduated from Princeton University in June 2009 with a B.A. in psychology. After graduation she relocated to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania where she has worked with Africare through a Princeton in Africa fellowship. Her academic areas of interest include cultural psychology, social psychology, and African studies. She is interested in understanding how culture can propel or inhibit social change. Her personal interests include Swahili and photography.
In Dar es Salaam, she has worked to expand Africare Tanzania's Most Vulnerable Children (MVC) programs through incorporation of strategies that seek to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS related vulnerabilities at household level.
17 July 2009: First week in Tanzania: A Rural Trip
10 August 2009: From Tanzania: Update from Krista Ford
9 September 2009: The Beginning of Ramadan
7 April 2010: From Tanzania: Update from Krista Ford
return to top - Zambia
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Formerly the British colony of Northern Rhodesia,
In 2010, the World Bank Group ranked Zambia 90th out of 183 economies in terms of ease of doing business. Unfortunately, stability and growth in GDP have not brought significant poverty reduction; Zambia remains one of Africa’s poorest countries. A full 64% of Zambians still live below the poverty line and over 50% live in “extreme poverty.”
Zambia is hard hit by HIV/AIDS and malaria with excess mortality reducing overall life expectancy, increasing infant mortality, and reducing population growth beyond what would be expected. Malaria remains the leading cause of morbidity, and it is the second highest cause of death for women and children. Recently mass distribution of bed nets, indoor spraying, and use of anti-malarial drugs during pregnancy, began to show results with reductions in cases and mortality for children under age five. A final challenge for
Resource links:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/za.html
http://www.who.int/countries/zmb/en/
*****
April-May 2010
Analeta Peterson
Lusaka, Zambia
Meharry Medical CollegeAnaleta Peterson attended Florida A&M University where she earned her degree in Biology, with a focus in premedical sciences. She will graduate Meharry Medical College in 2010. Ms. Peterson enjoys providing health care to underserved populations and to those who are financially burdened. She is most concerned with the shortage of physicians seen in foreign nations, especially when it comes to women's health. The outcome of a woman's delivery, or screening and treatment for diseases such as breast cancer or HIV can be drastically changed if there were more skilled workers in countries such as Cameroon and Kenya. As a Global Health Leader, Ms. Peterson plans to travel to Africa where she hopes to make an impact by providing a helping hand to those physicians and health care workers facing high patient volumes. After obtaining her medical degree, Ms. Peterson plans to work in women's health providing health care in underserved communities both in America and abroad.
12 April 2009: Experiences on the Maternity Ward: Lusaka, Zambia
17 May 2010: Gynecology Service in Lusaka, Zambia: Global Health Leader
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June-August 2010
Brittany Latimer
Lusaka, Zambia
Lipscomb College of PharmacyBrittany Latimer just finished her second year of Pharmacy school at Lipscomb College of Pharmacy in Nashville, TN. She completed her undergraduate degree in pre-pharmacy in 2009 at Lipscomb University. Originally from Charlotte, NC Brittany was able to travel on her first mission trip experience through trips to Mexico and Haiti.
Brittany believes that the main reason that God has called her to be a pharmacist is to give to others. She is excited to combine her three year experience from working at CVS pharmacy along with her knowledge from pharmacy school and use it in Zambia. Thanks to Hope through Healing Hands and Healing Hands, she believes that these six weeks in Zambia will be an amazing experience that will help her to learn how to better serve her patients and ultimately be a better pharmacist.
21 June 2010: Arriving in Zambia: Understanding Health Care Limitations in Namwianga
2 July 2010: My Journey to Becoming a Zambian
12 August 2010: Family Planning: A Reflection on Zambia
19 August 2010: The Zambia Medical Mission: Delivering Babies, Surgeries, Primary Care
*****
June-August 2010
John Deason
Lusaka, Zambia
Lipscomb College of PharmacyJohn Deason has completed his second year of pharmacy school at Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy in Nashville, TN. Having been born in Nashville, he has lived all his life in the Middle Tennessee area and completed his undergraduate education at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN in 2008 with a BS degree in Biology and Chemistry. Going to Zambia will be his first trip abroad.
John believes with all his heart that God has always guided him in every aspect of his life. This is why he gives all credit for God leading him to pharmacy and guiding him through school. He ultimately believes that God has done all of this so that John can use his degree in the healing of God’s people both at home and abroad. It is hoped that he can make a life’s work in medical missions.
21 June 2010: Sunday Morning Church and a First Look at the Clinic: John Deason in Zambia
29 June 2010: From the Dentist's Chair to a Funeral: Immersion in Tonga culture in Zambia
26 July 2010: The Mission Begins: Setting Up Clinics in Zambia
25 August 2010: The Finale and Return from Namwianga, Zambia
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