Kristin Beima is a Public Health Student at the University of Washington in Seattle. In March of this year she traveled to Heal Africa located in Goma, Congo to assist Global Strategies for HIV Prevention in their nutrition program that helps feed HIV infected orphans and vulnerable children. Without food, the drugs to treat HIV do not work. Kristin graduates this year with a Masters in Public Health. We are grateful for help.
From Theory to Practice
Kristin Beima
As a public health graduate student, interested in international health and HIV, I wanted to personally experience what the real world of international public health was like. In February of 2008, I decided to conquer my fear of flying and embark on my first trip outside of North America. I traveled to Goma, Eastern Congo where the worlds of poverty, political instability and natural catastrophes have conspired to create a humanitarian crisis.
The trip preparations and the information I had gathered by talking to those who had previously traveled to Africa did not fully prepare me for the culture shock I experienced in the first few days away from home. Africa awakened me to new sounds, smells, clothing, lifestyles, and most importantly, people. After my return the images have not left and now continue to tug at my heart. They have deeply influenced my career choice and created a passion to continue in the field of international health and HIV research.
Initially, I contacted Global Strategies hoping to find a way to complete a volunteer requirement for obtaining a certificate in HIV research. I was immediately interested in the nutrition program that had been initiated for HIV infected children receiving treatment with antiretroviral drugs. My role was to help collect important information on the children so that the beneficial effects of providing nutrition could be evaluated. I discovered that the program uniquely coupled the evaluation of antiretroviral therapy with nutrition. It may seem obvious that proper nutrition is essential for any child to grow and be healthy, but HIV infection and malnutrition interact in a way that magnifies the effect of either on child health and survival. This program has the potential of altering current international HIV treatment standards that provide only HIV and ignore nutritional supplements.
In spite of major health and human rights struggles, the war torn region of eastern Congo has received little international attention. Decades of conflict and extreme violence have resulted in massive population displacements and a collapse of basic infrastructure and public health services. Women and children are disproportionately affected by these events. High rates of rape coupled with a lack of medical services has led to increasing numbers of women and children that are infected with HIV. In spite of the high rates of HIV infection and the desparate health needs that also include tuberculosis and malaria, the Congo is not a recipient of the President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a $14 billion US aid program. Only recently has the crisis in Congo, described by the International Rescue Committee as the greatest humanitarian crisis since World War II, gained the attention of the international community. The impact on children is particularly severe. High HIV infection rates and malnutrition, which affects 15 to 30% of children in the region, is having a devastating impact on their growth, development and survival.
If I had to think of one word that would best describe my trip to Congo, it would be "contrasting." The colors, vegetation and mountainous landscape of Rwanda and Congo are gorgeous and do not adequately reflect the daily struggles that take place in the lives of those who live there. But, in spite of the hardships they endure, the people of this region are friendly and welcoming, and radiate true happiness. They generously give what little they have to help their neighbors, family, friends, and even strangers. But, with every story of how an individual was helped or saved, I thought of the thousands more that were still in need.
The pediatric HIV program takes place at the HEAL Africa hospital, a hospital that also houses women waiting for fistula repair surgeries. (Openings between the urinary tract, vagina and rectum that occur after brutal rape.) Every day, these women and other hospital patients have a worship service. Watching the women who had been raped, tortured, and/or outcast from their families worship God and celebrate God's miracles in their lives was the most incredible contrast I experienced. Too often Christians in the US ask the question, "How can I believe in a God that allows bad things to happen?" The inability to recognize how God is working in our lives or praise God when things become difficult, becomes a reason to not follow God. I saw the contrast in the women in Congo who had endured some of the most evil actions in this world and yet, were able to praise God more passionately than anyone I had ever seen. They saw the goodness of God in one of the darkest places in the world.
One of my most memorable experiences was a trip to the ELI (Empowering Lives International) school in Bukavu. The children performed an amazing welcome ceremony treating us to traditional African songs and dancing. The teachers informed us of how well the students were doing and shared their joy of how the school was benefiting the community. I learned from a teacher that they had obtained perfect attendance every day that month. Yet the school was also a sad experience for me. It was here that I was able to see firsthand the devastating effects of malnutrition on the children. At the school lunch feeding program, a woman who was scooping rice onto a child's plate told me to give this specific child more. She said, "You can tell by his eyes that he's hungry." She added, "This is likely the only meal he receives each day."
As I think back on my journey I am reminded to thank God everyday for all the amazing blessings I have in my life. I am appreciative to all those who helped make this opportunity available to me. This experience helped me to solidify my passion for working in international health. My first trip to Africa was an unbelievable experience that I will never forget. I hope that sometime in the future I will be able to return to the Congo.