Summary of Experience
I actually had wanted to do DPMI Rwanda 2016 but I just could not afford it. I saved enough to be able to participate in DPMI Rwanda this year because of my love for Public Health. Before we started the course, I was already excited because I knew that this particular DPMI focused on healthcare, which is not something that is offered on our MIIS campus. I had also heard really great things about our facilitator, Sharon, from past DPMI participants as well as Beryl and Carolyn, so I was really looking forward to working with her during this time.
Like some people, i am a bit of a procrastinator so I did not complete all the pre readings till a few days before the start of the program. Because I read the readings in a hurry, I was not able to fully grab all the important details which worried me as I thought I was going to fall behind. However, that was NOT the case at all. Sharon has a way of explaining things that just makes it so easy for people to understand. She highlighted the important parts of the reading which allowed me to go back and do some re-readings, and I’m glad I did because they came in very useful during in-class group work. I also had very little difficulty understand all the different tools we learned in class because of Sharon’s very clear and succinct explanations. I had heard many past DPMI participants who took DPMI either at MIIS or Washington D.C. say how much they don’t like the fishbone diagram because of its complexity; however, Sharon’s explanations and descriptions about the fishbone diagram as well as the design framework left me with more answers and knowledge than questions.
As far as the group project was concerned, we had a pretty solid group and most group members contributed to the group work. Our Social Marketing Campaign topic was a tough one, not only were we dealing with HIV/AIDS, but we were also dealing with sex workers, post-exposure treatment for HIV, as well as condom use. These topics all have a stigma associated with them in the region of Rwanda, and it was tough to put a marketing campaign that can tackle all these issues successfully in the limited amount of time we had. Nevertheless, I was very proud of the work that my group members and I produced, and was also very receptive of the feedback given. This issue is a tough one to tackle and it will take YEARS in order to find a campaign that can successfully target these issues and these groups.
Overall I really enjoyed the time I spent in class working with my group members and other group members, as well as the lectures. The people of Rwanda and Partners in Health (PIH) are all so great and welcoming. The two weeks spent in Rwanda have only heightened my love for public health in this region and I really hope to come back to Rwanda sometime soon in order to continue doing what I love, helping those in need.
Read Yvonne’s blog
Post presentation group pic. Last day at Partners in Health after all group presentations.
