 | Course Title: Field Practicum in Public Health and Environment in Kenya Preferred Qualifications
Open to qualified undergraduate and graduate students who meet the following requirements:
-Graduate student in MPH/Nursing or other health sciences program with related coursework.
Or
Undergraduate student:
-junior or senior; nursing; pre-med or pre-MPH or health sciences degree program
-coursework in one of the following: epidemiology, nursing, nutrition, community health, environmental health, etc.
-prefer experience in a public health-related area: internship, research, field work in public health, medical
-prefer international and/or cross-cultural experience. Application Deadlines
February 29, 2008. Application review will begin after this date.
Application (Please note that this application is specifically for the Kenya Public Health program. Applicants for this program must use this application.) The Problem in Context
In the early 1980s Kenya began a process of privatizing open grazing land into group ranches. This significant land use change has forced traditionally nomadic peoples, including the Maasai, onto smaller plots of land. The Maasai, a proud and historically self-sufficient society are now facing many social, political and economic challenges. The result has increased their vulnerability to disease and famine, and they frequently rely on relief food and water to survive. This major shift from nomadicism to pastoralism has brought about new health problems for the Maasai, including an escalation in sanitation-related and water-borne diseases, infant and childhood disease, and HIV/AIDS. Access to quality health care, both physically and culturally, poses a critical issue for this predominantly rural population. Except for recent household surveys conducted by The School for Field Studies (SFS), there are little baseline data or records on Maasai health status in southern Kenya, which adds another dimension to this public health challenge. Use of herbal medicine and health seeking behaviors
In Kenya, nearly 80% of the population, including the Maasai, are still dependent on herbal medicine - it remains an important source of treatment, particularly for rural communities. The World Health Organization's global strategy includes popularizing and incorporating herbal medicine in the national health systems of member countries. Consequently, Kenya is developing a national policy that will incorporate herbal medicine in its health provision strategy. Students participating in this SFS course may provide a vital link between the needs of the Maasai and Kenya's national health strategy. Program Description
As an extension of its environmental-focused research, SFS has created academic partnerships with several leading universities, including Boston University School of Public Health, Northern Arizona University Schools of Nursing and Health Sciences, and the Moi University (Kenya) Schools of Public Health and Medicine to respond to the environmental health issues described above. Faculty for this course are drawn from the Boston University School of Public Health and SFS. This course will provide students with an international field study experience in environmental and community health in Kenya, specifically focusing on the indigenous Maasai community. The course is designed to provide students with a field practicum in reviewing and implementing public health and environmental outcomes in identified Maasai communities. The course will contain four elements: - orientation to Kenyan politics, cultures, tribes and systems, with particular focus on Maasai tribal culture and practices. Lectures, field exercises, and visits to Maasai villages describe the physical environment and the interrelationship between the area's environmental issues and the human community. Students will also review the findings from the summer 2007 household survey.
- survey techniques, field-based data collection, data analysis, write-up, and presentation.
- implementation of low cost domestic hygiene interventions in group ranches, including community education about water and sanitation, hygienic practices, and mobile clinics.
- final presentations to community partners, including Ministry of Health and Maasai group ranch members.
This program is a graduate-level field course open to both graduate and qualified undergraduates in public health, nursing, pre-med, medical and health sciences. Program Highlights Credits | 6 credits (applicable for either graduate or undergraduate credit) | Dates | July 7 – August 8, 2008 (5 weeks) | Location/Base | SFS Kilimanjaro Bush Camp, Kimana, Kenya | Program Fees | $5,400 (includes all tuition, room, board, local travel. Fee excludes airfare). | Preferred Qualifications | Open to qualified undergraduate and graduate students who meet the following requirements: Graduate student in MPH/Nursing or other health sciences program with related coursework. Undergraduate student: - junior or senior;
- nursing, pre-med or pre-MPH or health sciences degree program;
- coursework in one of the following: epidemiology, nursing, nutrition, community health, environmental health, etc.;
- prefer demonstrated interest in public health through experience in a related area: internship, research, field work in public health, medical, or health related area;
- prefer international and/or cross-cultural experience.
| Financial Aid | Need-based SFS travel grants and scholarships. See our financial aid page for more information. | Research Focus | Critique and implementation of a community survey conducted in a local group ranch in 2007, including training on survey techniques, field-based data collection, analysis, write-up and presentation. Community education: water and sanitation, hygienic practices, and mobile clinics. | Field Expeditions | Maasai villages & group ranches, local health clinics & dispensaries; HIV/AIDS clinics; Amboseli National Park. |
Students will learn about: - The historical, socioeconomic, cultural, environmental, political, and health aspects of life in Kenya, with particular focus of the culture and practices of the Maasai tribe.
- Cultural practices and traditional beliefs and their relationship to health issues in Maasai communities.
- The organization of health care services in Kenya with specific focus on Maasailand and the Amboseli ecosystem.
- Health issues and health seeking behaviors in the communities of interest.
- How the local ecosystem impacts community health.
- Assessing and analyzing health issues and reporting findings and recommendations to key stakeholders and communities of interest.
- Ways to empower local communities and promote capacity building in a decentralized system.
- The traditional health care systems among tribes of Kenya, and the role of traditional herbal medicine in health care provision.
- The impact of Westernization on the Maasai traditional health care system.
Language of Instruction
English Housing
Students will be based at the SFS Kilimanjaro Bush Camp in Kimana, Kenya, at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. Our field station is in the heart of Maasailand. Application (Please note that this application is specifically for the Kenya Public Health program. Applicants for this program must use this application.)
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