August 21, 2006
Duke-Family Health International (FHI) Partnership
By Cynthia Binanay
 Cynthia Binanay greets Dr. Margaret Kaseje |
Lilongwe, MALAWI—The DCRI's Cynthia Binanay, Program Director for
Duke University's Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health, visited the Family
Health International’s (FHI) Malawi office in late July to evaluate
a pilot partnership between Duke and FHI in which Duke undergraduates come
and volunteer with FHI country offices.
The idea for a partnership was born in the spring of 2005. FHI country offices
were asked if they could host undergraduate fellows for a summer. After the
Malawi office responded enthusiastically about hosting student volunteers,
the Hubert-Yeargan Center interviewed applicants and selected one graduating
senior and another upperclassman to participate in the pilot program.
Binanay and Dr. Margaret Kaseje, FHI country director of Malawi, said the
partnership has been successful with both sides benefiting.
"I think this is an excellent opportunity for FHI's work in Malawi to
benefit but also for the students to gain valuable experience," Kaseje
said. "It's a win-win on both sides."
Dan Englander and Jing Luo were selected to work at FHI as fellows for the
summer, each spending about 11 weeks living and working in Lilongwe.
With a background in policy and journalism, Englander worked with the senior
technical officer for monitoring and evaluation to analyze baseline data
from a survey about FHI's new implementing partners conducted earlier in
the year. He also met with members of the local print media to encourage
positive working relationships between FHI and the press.
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Luo, a recent graduate of Duke and soon-to-be medical student entering medical
school at the University of Illinois at Chicago, documented FHI's community
home-based care as well as the orphaned and vulnerable children programs
and partnerships throughout the country, using photography as his main form
of documentation.
Both students, who share a passion for global health, have learned a great
deal about family health issues and agree that their experiences in Malawi
have cemented their dedication to mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS and other
infectious diseases that plague the world.
“I am incredibly thankful for this opportunity,” said Luo. “Learning
about and documenting the health and income generation programs that FHI supports
for the chronically ill and orphaned children of Malawi has both clarified
and strengthened my commitment to fighting global health disparities. It has
been a great way to cap off my four years at Duke.”
Because of the program's success, Binanay and Kaseje expressed interest in
seeing the pilot program turn into a regular partnership.
"I would like it to go on," says Kaseje. "I'm looking forward
to the next lot coming out here.”