Blogs spotlight Rice undergrads’ work in Africa

Blogs spotlight Rice undergrads’ work in Africa

RICE NEWS STAFF REPORTS

Seven Rice University undergraduates are spending their summer on the frontlines of the world’s HIV/AIDS pandemic, but you don’t have to wait until they get back to learn more about their experiences. You can read the blogs they’re posting from Africa.

Children in Swaziland celebrate the one year anniversary of their initiation in the PORECO program, which aims to prevent the transmission of HIV from mothers to their babies.

The students designed health-care tools and programs as part of a multidisciplinary course at Rice called “Introduction to Global Health Issues” and are now testing those tools in clinics and hospitals run by the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI) in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi and Swaziland. The two-month internship is sponsored by Rice’s Beyond Traditional Borders (BTB) program.

From working in rural clinics with no electricity, to dealing with shortages of basic medical supplies, the interns are seeing what doctors and nurses in the trenches of third-world health care see every day.

“The BIPAI partnership with Rice University has been beneficial for both the Rice students and BIPAI. The students have been given an opportunity to experience living in developing countries with high prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS, so that they can better understand the barriers and stigma people infected and affected face everyday,” said Nancy Calles, BIPAI vice president of international program development. “These young, enthusiastic interns applied what they have learned and created and implemented some of their own projects including the development of educational materials and devices which will assist the children and their families overcome barriers in adhering to taking their HIV medications. These materials and devices will greatly enhance the care and treatment BIPAI is able to provide at the Centers of Excellence across Africa.”

Rachel Solnick, a sophomore psychology major, and Lindsay Zwiener, a junior health sciences and health policy major, are in Botswana. Sophie Kim, a biological sciences senior, and Christina Lagos, an international health and policy senior, are in Lesotho.

In Lesotho students participated in discussion groups.

Kim Bennett, a senior bioengineering major, is in Malawi.

David Dallas, a senior health sciences major, and Tessa Elliott, a graduating senior in environmental and earth science, are in Swaziland.

Excerpts from the blogs:

In Botswana, a new project: “Our next project, presented to us by Dr. Lowenthal, is very interesting but is a lot of desk work! The Baylor Center of Excellence is looking into the necessity for resistance tests in determining second- or third-line treatments, so Rachel and I are going through patient files to collect the necessary information for such an analysis.”

Rachel Solnick visits with a sculptor named Elijah who is passionate about the situation in Zimbabwe.

In Lesotho, conversation: “I opened up the conversation with a bit about myself and then asked [the girls] questions about their lives, about what they liked and disliked about being girls, about their challenges and opportunities. It turned out really well and we were able to discuss many different topics. The conversation got more and more informal as the time progressed, and they ended up asking me if I know Jennifer Lopez or Beyonce.”

In Malawi, resource limitations: “The district hospital lab was an interesting experience. I got several good ideas for possible design projects and I learned a lot about the limitations that they’re working with here. Tests that we take for granted in the states aren’t possible here on a regular basis, and some not at all.”

In Swaziland, stigma: “Until [that day], I had seen nothing of the stigma against people with HIV, and because of that, I don’t think I understand what the rural Swazi people are up against when they come to the clinic. By doing so, they are admitting to their families that they have the disease, and once that information is out there, who knows how friends and family will react?”

Read the students’ blogs at www.owlsbeyondborders.rice.edu.

Learn more about Beyond Traditional Borders in this earlier story and about BIPAI’s other work in Africa.