Oct. 1. 2015. Refugee

Wars, conflict and persecution never end in the earth. UNHCR’s annual Global Trends Report points out that worldwide displacement was at the highest level in 2014, 59.5 million people forced to flee their home. To me, who has never been to a battlefield, the war-torn Middle East seems to be a far away land. Of course, there was a Baltimore riot last May, and it is not that quiet area, but still, I think I am in the place that misery displacement never happens. I am so apathetic. While Syria has become the world’s biggest producer of refugees and internally displaced people, what have I done...?

UNHCR- Worldwide displacement his all-time high as war and persecution increase 

I looked around. I was still in Baltimore, and I believed there was something that I could do for the community in Baltimore. When I realized that International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps refugees settle down in the U.S., I was reluctant to become an IRC Family Mentor for the first time. ‘I am a student, and I have a visa that expires soon. How do I work for refugees?’

In the end, I could not ignore the opportunity to become a Family Mentor. Though I did not know how much I could be helpful for refugee family who just came to the U.S., at least I thought I would be a good listener and sincere friend for them. I could not quite understand the difference between asylee and refugee even after IRC volunteer orientation, but I was full of both pleasure and duty that ‘I want to do this!’ When an IRC staff asked me over the phone interview what kinds of refugee family I would like to meet, I said without a moment’s hesitation, “I’d like to meet big family who’s from Africa!”

Why Africa again? There were quite a number of people who are skeptical about my work in Africa. They did not understand why I went to Africa, so to speak, unfamiliar place located too far away from the U.S. They said they would have done similar things what I did in Africa, right here in Baltimore. At that time, I could not answer for that. They may be right because I have had little concern what’s going on the communities that were so near to me. After a long trip in Africa, I was determined that I would do invaluable volunteer work for underserved population in Maryland and Virginia, the place where I can reach so quick.

That’s how I met Weldegergis’ family. He is from Eritrea, small country that gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993. After a long period of years of living in exile in Eastern Sudan, at last, his family finally set foot on the U.S. soil in 2015. He met his wife in Sudan and now has six kids, big family! I visit the family once a week to help them adjust to the new life in the U.S. by going to bookstore together, teaching English and math, or share each other’s daily life. I originally had a lot of pressure about how to become a great mentor, but now I feel like I am more healed whenever I see them. They moved in new, sweet home in Baltimore, go to school, go to work, and go to Catholic Church on Sundays.

Now I finally have the answer for those who are not sure why I like on the ground work. I would never imagine how hard living in the asylum and refugee camp. Weldegergis talks about his refugee life in the past with a smile, but I never know how much he had to go through. Likewise, I cannot feel the same way of pain and sorrow that Syrians have, simply because I am not physically there, and I am not in the same situation of forced displacement. So I need to go again, to feel their life fully in the same environment where gives suffering to them. I believe public health is for everyone. Wherever I am, I hope I can do outreach, go and visit people who need helping hands.

July 24. 2015. Meningococcal Disease

http://www.path.org/menafrivac/meningitis-belt.php

When I began working at the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC), I was not also sure what the specific topic would be. There were several options about meningococcal disease that I would be able to contribute to work on. Though I will be the first author for the paper, but honestly, the disease itself sounds pretty new to me! Nonetheless, it is interesting for me to know about this disease because it is predominant across sub-Saharan Africa. Here at IVAC, there are passionate people who are working for AGEDD Project, stands for Adult Global Estimation of Disease Burden and Distribution of Serotypes of Serious Pneumococcal and Meningococcal Disease. I learn so much about how to collaborate with each other to find a new subject to write for the benefit of AGEDD Project.

Meningitis, the best well-known subset of invasive meningococcal disease, is caused by inflammation and irritation of the membranes that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. The symptom is stiff neck, fever, rashes, deafness, mental retardation, seizures, or paralysis, and some survivors lose their limb, or suffer permanent brain damage. In the Africa’s meningitis belt, a total of 450 million people are prone to this deadly disease. From West to East, Senegal to Ethiopia, epidemics of meningitis has swept across this region by killing one in ten people infected and leaving people severely debilitated. How to eliminate this disease? Thanks to a unique partnership between PATH and the World Health Organization cost-effective new vaccine MenAfriVac has been distributed, and 150 million people have received it. However, the serotype of disease has switched from typical Neisseria meningitides A to C, and it actually caused another epidemic in Niger and Nigeria this year.

The topic for meningococcal disease can be various: about vaccine policy, vaccine effectiveness, or history of epidemics in Africa. I hope that well-organized research about this disease will be done soon so that everyone in the world can react to prevent it in the future.

July 17. 2015. JHU Fellows

The building reminded of me last year this time. I grinned at the building and said ‘Hello, it’s been a while!’ inly. I have been here in June last year for World Vision orientation. One year has passed in an instant: Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, South Korea, Mozambique, and back to the U.S. during one year. In the office, there would be new Johns Hopkins University fellows who have been receiving training from this morning. I was a little nervous at first to get inside the office. What story would I tell them? Erin invited me to come to the World Vision International office in DC for sharing my Global Health Fellows Programme experience to the upcoming group of JHU fellows. A security guy opened the entrance door and took me to the orientation place. “Hello, people!” It has been more than a year since I saw Erin last time. We embraced each other, but I was kind of embarrassed because five ladies who sat on the chair in a line were looking at me at the same time (I did not know where to look!) This year, there would be five female JHU fellows who will work Lives Saved Tool from August/September. Where are men? There were 2 female and 2 male fellows last year. Men, let’s give it a little more effort for public health! J

I arrived 30 minutes early, but my sharing experience and Q&A went off immediately. Haha, I liked this flexibility. I talked this and that; overview summary of my fellowship focus, my personal experience and learning, and top recommendations for a successful fellowship. I should have known who the audience are to understand how much they are familiar with Africa. I simply considered that they must be novice about anything for Africa, but they were not. Many of them were originally from Africa or someone has already been to Africa. Ooh… This was the big gap between my school colleagues and friends outside of the school. My school dudes and junior colleagues are normally into Africa! Since I have seen many friends these days who do not care whatever I say about Africa, I said too much basic things to them, such as “Behave humbly in Africa!” When I said, “I want to be an Africa expert!” they laughed; I was saying that in front of native Africans! Anyway, they are going to go to Laos, Mauritania, Kenya/ Ethiopia, Senegal/ Mali, and Zambia/ Malawi/ Swaziland. They have just become my great motivation because they are rising stars for public health in Southeast Asia and Africa. I was very happy to share my experience with them, and I hope they will enjoy their work and life outside of the U.S.

The next step after fellowship work? Yeah, one thing always leads to another, and we have to prepare for that. I believe there will certainly be an interesting life that makes me really excited. All I can do is to try harder than yesterday to become an “Africa expert.” J Wait a sec, Africa. I will be back!