Derek Ferree

Summary of Experience

The DPMI Rwanda program was standout experience for me not only because it was my first time being in Africa and experiencing African culture, but also because of what the class had to offer for me. Before the course started we spent the first couple days exploring Kigali. We went to the Genocide Memorial, Belgian Soldiers Memorial, the UNHCR office, to the local markets, and several other sight-seeing locations. After those first few days we then went to the Partners in Health (PIH) compound in Rwinkwavu to take the DPMI course. We learned a myriad of helpful tools that are indispensable in professional development or managerial work. Some of the many skills that we learned were: how to make a fishbone diagram, logic model, and results framework. 

After about 3 days of class (on Saturday) we traveled to a different town to learn about making banana beer, traditional Rwandan imigongo paintings, and other crafts. We adventured off into the nearby town and got to know some of the local people. This was a great introduction to Rwandan culture and I found the locals to be very accommodating and warm to us. The day after (Sunday) we went on safari at Akagera National Park. This was yet another unforgettable experience where we saw elephants, zebras, hippos, and many more animals in their natural habitats.
The group that I was a part of was addressing the problem of infant (or more specifically neonatal) mortality in Rwanda. We framed all of our activities to meet the needs of our client, PIH. The collaboration with PIH gave the whole program a “real feel” and provided us all with a fantastic insight on what it looks like to do development work in a different country, involving collaboration with local organizations. After the ten days of class we concluded by giving a formal presentation to some of the PIH representatives.

I think that the most interesting thing for me about the class was the search for which problem to address and how that problem affects the rest of our results framework. It helped me to see how one can try to simplify a complex issue like neonatal mortality in a third-world country, assuming you address the correct problem. We had one-on-one interviews with local mothers, community health workers, and hospital staff and also did an extensive amount of research into the topic. In the end I was quite pleased with our proposed solutions that we presented to PIH. 

Overall I found that the DPMI Rwanda course was an excellent experience and I would definitely recommend the program to anyone wanting to do any kind of managerial or development work for their career. I would also recommend seeing the country of Rwanda for anyone that wants to see and African country with a beautiful culture and people. I would also like to thank the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Partners in Health, and anyone else that helped to make this unforgettable trip possible for me and my colleagues.

Team M.E.D.I.C. (Meg, Eline, Derek, Ioana, and Christian) addressing neonatal mortality.

 

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