Reflections on My Trip to Kenya!

 by Nina Woolley

Prior to my internship with SOTENI, I considered bananas to be a fine fruit for an occasional snack, but nothing much to think about.  My perception changed when I was given one of my first assignments in Ugenya: develop a one-year work plan to revitalize the struggling income-generating banana farm.  As an undergraduate student with no farming experience, I was an unlikely candidate for such a task. Nonetheless, I accepted the project as an exciting challenge.

Together with two tireless partners – the SVH-Ugenya coordinator and a fellow Duke student intern – I surveyed the banana farm, interviewed the current caretaker, picked the brain of an experienced agronomist, met with a local businessman who has a successful banana farm, bounced ideas off SOTENI staff members, and calculated the predicted costs and profits of each idea. On some days, such as the day I sat on the back of a piki-piki after a severe rainstorm, my feet and legs covered in mud and the driver straining to guide the motorcycle down a nearly impassable road next to the banana farm, I could only laugh at the improbability of the situation. However, by the end of my internship, we managed to create a well thought-out plan for the farm that I am proud to have helped design.

Working on the banana farm plan was just one of the projects that demanded my best critical thinking, persistent effort, and creativity this past summer. Suddenly so many of the issues I had studied in my global health classes at Duke University were right in front of me, and I was asked to participate actively in SOTENI’s mission to “prevent the spread of AIDS by helping vulnerable people build self-sustaining communities.”

I was humbled when I met 36 of the 41 orphans and vulnerable children sponsored through SOTENI, interviewing them and writing reports to inform their sponsors of their well-being. I was invigorated when I shadowed the in-charge nurse at a government health center and then worked with the SOTENI dispensary staff to develop their process & procedures manual. I expanded my repertory of skills by helping to write three grant proposals for HIV/AIDS care and support initiatives, and I developed my research competence as I worked with three other interns to survey 120 women in the dispensary catchment area about their use of the dispensary, access to pre- and post-natal care, and disease-prevention habits. In short, I was doing exciting work and learning new things every single day.

Apart from the challenge and excitement of the work I was undertaking, the best part of the internship was making close connections with Kenyan families. I will never forget conversing about East African politics with my host family in Kuria, or struggling to describe a typical, suburban American neighborhood to my curious host mom in Mituntu, who prompted the conversation by asking how many goats and cows my family owns. New friendships deepened as I shared the common mound of ugali, the Kenyan staple food made of ground maize, at dinner. As with my work, some of my living experiences contained surprises. I never imagined I would be watching dubbed Mexican soap operas every night with my host family in Nairobi, nor did I anticipate that our white skin would be exciting enough to inspire over ten children in Mbakalo to follow my fellow interns and me home from work daily, giggling, touching us, and imitating our conversation. However, I cherish each of these experiences.

Being immersed in Kenyan culture and making meaningful friendships while also working to the very best of my ability on challenging projects made my internship with SOTENI extraordinary. Through this experience, I reaffirmed my commitment to global health, strengthened my conviction to pursue a medical degree after college, and increased my awareness of my strengths and skills. I hope I will be able to return to Kenya one day, and I would love to continue to collaborate with SOTENI. For now, I am sure that I will remember my internship fondly and frequently. In fact, I have a feeling that I will remember it every time I eat a banana.