By Emily Brengarth
Due to the high rates of HIV in the Sheema District of Uganda, I ignorantly assumed that the community here would be weaker. However, I have never seen a community that proves the exact opposite.
The staff at KCRC is extremely dedicated to reaching as many people in need…
By: Nasreen Quadri
Agandi!
This is the greeting we use everyday when we meet with the KCRC staff, people walking by on the street, and our dear beneficiaries of GlobeMed nutrition projects. We may also use the word when at a loss for the right word to express what we are trying to say,…
By Parker Webb
I am sitting here in Cleophas’s office (the program director at KCRC, primary contact here for GlobeMed at UMKC, and my dear friend) after a long day of meeting beneficiaries of our projects. If you don’t know, GlobeMed at UMKC works on nutrition projects (providing gardens…
Before we get started with all the juicy details of this GROW trip we thought we should explain what exactly GROW is. GROW, or Grassroots On-Site Work, is how GlobeMed chapters bridge the gap between chapters in the US and the grassroots organizations they partner with around the world.
At UMKC…
Janet (on right) and another community volunteer doing the GlobeMed handshake!
Be sure to follow our GROW team’s blog by clicking the link above! We can’t wait to find out more about their time in Uganda!
Somebody Help: The Forgotten Population in North Darfur
In the remote Jebel Si area of North Darfur, MSF runs a hospital, five health posts, and a mobile clinic. These are the only health facilities in the area, and they serve a permanent population of 100,000, as well as about 10,000 seasonal nomads. The majority of MSF’s patients in Jebel Si are women and children.
But now a series of obstacles threaten to seriously hamper MSF’s ability to deliver medical assistance. Vital medical and logistical supplies have been prevented from reaching the area, work permits have not been granted, and physical access to the region has become increasingly difficult.
As a result of these obstacles, MSF has been forced to scale down its activities dramatically. Unless urgent steps are taken to rectify the situation, the people of Jebel Si will be faced with the reality of a future without essential health care.
Photo: An MSF staff member checks a child for malnutrition in Jebel Si, where obstacles threaten the continued operation of MSF’s health posts, the only such facilities in the area.
Sudan 2012 © MSF
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If you’re graduating from college this year, we apologize: Before being pushed off into the shaky job market, you’ll likely be forced to sit through a commencement speech filled with platitudes and vague advice, usually delivered by someone too old and famous to remember what it’s like to be young and broke. So we asked comedian Baratunde Thurston, porn actor James Deen, tech reporter Jenna Wortham, novelist Emma Straub, and Das Racist’s Victor Vazquez to tell us what 2012 graduates really need to know.
For all of our friends graduating, take a look at this different brand of post-grad advice.
We Are Ready to GROW!
Sorry for the long hiatus in posts, folks!
We can’t believe how fast this year has gone and how wonderful it has been!
Our last major fundraisers — GlobeMed Gala and the poker tournament — were both beautiful events and great successes. The Gala raised over $1,700 and the poker tournament raised around $300. These two, combined with all of our previous efforts, have put us over our goal!
Because of everyone’s help, we will now be able to fully fund the expansion of the GROW gardens and the goat micro-finance program! Speaking of GROW, this year’s GROW team — Nasreen, Emily and Parker — are set to leave early next week. We are so excited to be able to not only visit with our partner, Kabwohe Clinical Research Center in Bushenyi, Uganda, but to also work along side them to help implement these programs.
Due to your generous support, our chapter is able to not only make a sustainable difference in the areas of health and nutrition in a community, but we are also able to take a step towards global health equity.
Keep checking back for more updates from the GROW team on their new blog, globemedatumkcgrow2012.tumblr.com
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Low-Hanging Fruit: Can an Edible Forest Take Root in Seattle?
Imagine if your neighborhood park doubled as a communal orchard. Out of fruit in the fridge? Just stroll down the block and pluck the first ripe pear you see. For residents of Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood this dream is about to become a reality, with a community group planning to break ground on the country’s largest “food forest” this summer.
This is such a cool idea! Generally those with low socioeconomic status do not have access to fresh fruit and vegetables, plus urban areas don’t have much room for gardens. It’s great to see a city taking initiative with this problem. What do you think of the food forest as a solution?
