International Practicum in Western Kenya focused on empowerment for at-risk youth: Strengths, challenges and lessons learned

In the summer of 2009, as part of my MPH requirements at Boston University School of Public Health, I had the opportunity to participate in two separate praciticums in Kenya. The latter was a 6 week internship at a women's healthcare initiative. The population at hand were vulnerable and at-risk girls in Western Kenya. My role as an Officer there was to gain insight into best approaches for evaluation and data collection. As part of my practicum, I created an internal qualitative study to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. In addition, I implemented, analyzed and reported the findings. Beyond the qualitative study, I created two training manuals overviewing additional assistance for the participants, created collateral materials and documented the struggles and challenges of the youth. The stories of 20 participants were highlighted and collected in a booklet entitled, "Against All Odds." As part of the BUSPH panel, I will provide insight to the strengths and challenges of an international practicum while in the field, the role of the student during and after the experience and how the experience utilizes MPH education and will influence my career path after graduation.