A group of 11 undergraduates traveled thousands of miles from Baltimore to Cape Town, South Africa this summer to expand their perspective on critical public health issues.
For six weeks, the students took courses at the University of Cape Town, which ranged from topics in health behavior models to traditional medicine. The students also interned at five different local non-governmental organizations.
One of the organizations that students interned with was the Triangle Project, which aims to eradicate discrimination in the LGBTQ community and provide a variety of services such as counseling and sexual health clinics.
Although South Africa was the fifth country in the world — and the only country in Africa — to legalize same sex marriage since 2006, people in the LGBTQ community continue to face challenges in the post-apartheid era. Homophobic violence and a high rate of HIV/AIDS are both still pressing problems.
Toby Harris, a senior majoring in public health, worked with the Triangle Project. Alongside her partner, senior Max Morris, they both drafted a policy briefing on LGBTQ sensitivity training for health care providers and designed posters to raise awareness about sexually transmitted diseases.
In an email to The News-Letter, Harris recalled the warm and welcoming environment of the Triangle Project.
“One of the things I particularly liked about their site was the sense of community you found there,” she wrote. “From watching the different staff interact with each other to seeing the clients use services and community members hang out in the office, it was clear how important the organization is for providing a safe place for LGBTI people.”
Harris and Morris also visited the South African Parliament to observe several committee meetings. Although the topics addressed during the meeting did not necessarily align with the Triangle Project’s ideals, Harris explained in a blog post that these are still useful relationships for the Triangle Project
“[T]hese relationships can prove useful when the Triangle Project is trying to lobby for more relatable or pertinent issues, like the need for widespread LGBTI sensitivity training for instance,” he wrote.
Two other students on the trip, Jasmine Okafor and Karina Rahaman, interned at the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation Women of Worth (WOW) Program.
The Program aims to help and empower young South African women between the ages of 19 and 24. WOW offers monthly workshops where they can learn essential life skills and receive both guidance and opportunities from mentors.
Okafor, who is double majoring in public health and behavioral biology, and Rahaman, a junior majoring in Medicine, Science and the Humanities, explained some of the obstacles these women face.
“[These women are] experiencing all different kinds of barriers in their life mostly due to the community they have grown up in,” Okafor said.
The 12 empowerment sessions offered by WOW cover various topics like contraceptives, resume building and mental health. Rahaman recalled her first day working for WOW.
“We spent the day with the facilitators of the empowerment sessions. These facilitators, called ignitors, are women from the community who lead the sessions and serve as role models for the participants,” Rahaman said.
She added that during the discussion the facilitators each explained why they chose to be a part of the project.
“Their answers spoke to their own personal experiences and the culture of South Africa,” Rahaman said.
For Rahaman, listening to their stories was both emotionally powerful and helped provide insight into the social norms within the community.
“This experience provided me with insight and knowledge which I know I can’t find in a book, but through interacting with people and immersing myself in a new culture,” she said.
Okafor discussed how her experience working with WOW has encouraged her to look at problems in Baltimore through a new lens.
“HIV is also very prominent in Baltimore, and a lot of people don’t realize that it is still a large issue. Similar to working in Cape Town, the environment plays a large factor on how individuals behave,” Okafor said. “I think it would be interesting to also create a program with workshops to empower women to be more than just what their environment is thought to produce.”
Meagan Hawes, the trip leader and now a medical student at Rutgers University, expressed her thoughts about working outside the U.S.
“Spending time abroad can make you think about who you are, where you’re from and why you do what you do. You don’t have to leave home to raise these questions, of course, but intentionally stepping away from a place that is familiar and encountering new perspectives, often serves as a catalyst,” Hawes said. “The marvelous part is that these reflections are carried home with students and can change or clarify the way they relate to people, places or interests in their own communities.
Lisa Folda, the assistant director of the public health studies program and director of the Cape Town study abroad program, highlighted the importance of avoiding making assumptions and keeping an open mind in any internship experience,
“The truth is, an internship experience in South Africa may not be that different from one in the U.S. — or, rather, a student’s approach to it may not be,” Folda said. “No matter the setting, students must be vigilant about approaching their work with humility and curiosity. Those are critical elements to capitalizing on a good mentor and learning experience.”
Folda added that, specifically in South Africa, students may find a lower resource setting if they are part of a community-based organization. She encouraged students to ask a lot of questions in a respectful way in order to learn about the mission and goals of their organization.
“No matter where you are, a major pitfall to avoid is making assumptions about a place or population before beginning the work,” Folda said. “Yes, you can and should educate yourself ahead of time, but it is critical to keep an open mind, to really listen to your collaborators and guides and to have the flexibility to allow your ideas to evolve along with your time there.”
