Pass the Mic!
Reflecting back on my Global Health Corps (GHC) pre-fellowship training at Yale University, my biggest take home was that we need to pass the mic. Through numerous speakers at the Training Institute, one message that resonated most with me was that there is no such thing as ‘voiceless’ communities; when given the opportunity and platform to use our voices, it is our responsibility to let communities and individuals tell their own stories.
“Every human being has a voice, there is no such thing as ‘voiceless’ communities …Pass the mic!”-Lisa Russell & TMS Ruge
As part of the GHC fellowship year, cohorts brainstorm and implement a project that promotes community engagement. The 2017–2018 GHC Rwanda cohort decided to pass the mic to the community of Ruli in Rwanda as part of our community project. As two of the current fellows are based in Ruli, we teamed up with high school students in that area to implement two projects of their choice. The project served as an opportunity for the fellows to let students tell their stories and shine a light on their specific needs, accompanied by a project proposal to address that need.
In partnership with two local high schools, our cohort coordinated a call for project proposals among the students. In teams, interested students submitted a project proposal addressing a critical problem in their community. We received 45 project proposals, varying from reducing malnutrition among children under five to improving cleanliness and hygiene in the Ruli Open Market Center. Based on the projects’ level of feasibility and sustainability, our cohort selected two winning teams. Both winning teams received a grant of 250,000 Rwandan Francs (USD 288.00) to implement their projects.
The first team is planning on opening a hair salon at their high school in Ruli. To avoid dandruff and other hygiene issues, Ruli students are required to get a regular haircut in order to attend school. Therefore, the winning team believed that having a hair salon at school would reduce the number of students who get sent home for not getting a haircut. The school administration granted them an empty classroom they can use, and the team plans on using the grant to purchase all the required equipment for the salon and to cover the hairdresser’s salary. To support the salon in the long term, the students plan on working with the school administration to request that parents contribute an annual fee, which would be much lower than the amount they would normally pay annually for their kids’ haircuts.
The second winning team was concerned with the environment and pollution in Ruli. The Ruli Open Market Center, which is located close to the students’ school, is full of litter because there are no designated bins to dispose trash. The students were concerned with the environmental and health impacts this was having on their community. They plan on organizing a cleaning day and inviting community members and local authorities to come together and clean the center. They will use the grant to purchase cleaning supplies for the cleaning day as well as new bins for the area to reduce littering and keep the center clean.
As GHC fellows and alumni, we receive ongoing support through training, workshops and other professional development opportunities to help us grow as leaders. In this spirit, our cohort decided to organize a Project Implementation Workshop for the two winning teams. The goal of this workshop was to support the winning teams and equip students with the knowledge and tools required to successfully implement the project they designed and make a change in their community.
The workshop facilitated team development and created a detailed implementation plan for their projects. We also provided a receipt template to the students to help them track their spending and develop their budgeting skills.
This opportunity meant a lot to our cohort and collectively agreeing on the relative significance of each project was challenging. We had many differences of opinion on the feasibility and significance of different proposals, but it was a valuable chance for us to collaborate to have an impact on the Ruli community. We found it to be a great learning opportunity for both the students of Ruli and ourselves to share ideas amongst our peers, listen attentively, communicate effectively, and finally work towards implementing our vision. We are looking forward to seeing the final results of our Rwandaful students’ projects!
Laetitia Kayitesi was a 2017–2018 Global Health Corps fellow at the Ministry of Health in Rwanda.
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