#PassTheTorch: Hanif Munthali
Dear 2021–2022 Fellows,
It is 9:00 am in the morning, cloudy and cold in Blantyre, Malawi. I write this while seated on a wooden chair in a clinic at the Limbe Health Centre. The strong fragrance of cleaning chemicals welcomes you as you enter the door to the clinic. Outside the window, people are walking in and out to take advantage of the many services offered here. The facility is right next to Limbe market. The sounds of cars, minibus callers, vendors, crying babies, and birds singing comprise the atmosphere. This is one of the highest volume health sites in Blantyre.
This is also one of the seven facilities in Blantyre I have been supporting in data management and reporting to improve linkage, retention, and viral suppression rates among youth living with HIV throughout the course of my Global Health Corps (GHC) fellowship. We live in a world where time moves faster than we can possibly keep up. It feels like yesterday that I started my fellowship. I cannot believe that in the coming days I will become an alumnus.
At the beginning of my fellowship, I thought GHC was for extraordinary people with a long list of achievements in public health. The first time I applied in 2018, I failed. Rather than allowing this to discourage me, I applied again in 2019, and this time I was accepted. Although I was excited, I was nervous, too. I had thousands of questions… “What can I really contribute to a health organization? Where will I start? Who will be there for me when I need help?”
COVID-19 brought challenges that previous cohorts didn’t experience. The pandemic has affected organizational cultures, operations, and job descriptions. Everything from my final interviews to our new fellow orientation was facilitated online. I even started my new job remotely. Thanks to the continuous support from the GHC community and my placement organization, I was able to get acclimated with this “new normal.”
“As leaders, we must learn to be adaptable and resilient.”
As leaders, we must learn to be adaptable and resilient. From day one, I remained true to myself. My secret was proper planning and time management — this has sustained me throughout my fellowship. I urge the new fellows to start planning today for the challenges that lie ahead. Set your goals, plan out who you want to connect with, what you want to learn, and how you want to invest in yourself.
The GHC fellowship is the beginning of a new leadership journey! It’s a great opportunity to advance the movement for health equity in your communities. I am very grateful to have started my public health career with this prestigious fellowship. Working with Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation was an added bonus. I now know more about HIV/AIDS care and treatment than before and I have a sense of belonging to a big team that is passionately fighting for an AIDS-free generation. I have grown professionally and mastered data analytics methods that I didn’t know before. Today, I look back at my fellowship journey and I do not regret a thing. I am excited by the opportunities that lie ahead, the memories that were made, and the experiences that have shaped me. Not only did I receive on-the-job training, but I overcame many challenges and built long-lasting relationships with an expansive network of fellow health equity champions.
My dear leaders, I wish you all the best as you start your fellowship. Be prepared to cultivate yourself, and wherever you are planted, be fruitful. To quote Isaac Newton, “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”. The GHC community is made of thousands of giants with shoulders ready for you to stand on. Are you ready to step up to see far? The ball is in your court.
Congratulations once again!
Regards,
Hanif Munthali
P.S., COVID-19 is real. Please, mask up.
Hanif Munthali is a 2020–2021 Global Health Corps fellow and an Evidence to Programs (E2P) Strategic Information and Evaluation Officer at Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
Global Health Corps (GHC) is a leadership development organization building the next generation of health equity leaders around the world. All GHC fellows, partners, and supporters are united in a common belief: health is a human right. There is a role for everyone in the movement for health equity. To learn more, visit our website and connect with us on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook.
