SUMMER 2008 PROGRAM

DATES

June 2 - July 4, 2008

Departure Point: Nairobi Kenya

Course Number: EE (NS) 888

Prerequisites: College undergrad and graduates with a background in public health, nursing, pre-med, medical and health sciences.

Credits: 6 credits (grad or undergrad)

FIELD STUDY IN PUBLIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

In the early 1980s Kenya began a process of privatizing its open grazing land into group ranches. This significant land use change has forced traditionally nomadic peoples, including the Maasai, onto smaller plots of land. The Maasai, a proud and historically self-sufficient society are now facing many social, political and economic challenges. The result has increased their vulnerability to disease and famine, and they frequently rely on relief food and water to survive.

This major shift from nomadicism to pastoralism has brought about new health problems for the Maasai, including an escalation in sanitation-related and water-borne diseases, infant and childhood disease, and HIV/Aids. Access to quality health care, both physically and culturally, poses a critical issue for this predominantly rural population. The fact that there is little baseline data on Maasai health status in southern Kenya adds another dimension to this public health challenge.

In Kenya, nearly 80% of the population, including the Maasai, still depends on herbal medicine - it remains an important source of treatment, particularly for rural communities. The World Health Organization's global strategy includes popularizing and incorporating herbal medicine in the national health systems of member countries. Consequently, Kenya is developing a national policy that will incorporate herbal medicine in its health provision strategy. Students participating in this SFS course may provide a vital link between the needs of the Maasai and Kenya's national health strategy.

Research Focus

SFS has partnered with several leading universities including Boston University School of Public Health, Northern Arizona University Schools of Nursing and Health Sciences, and the Moi University (Kenya) Schools of Public Health and Medicine to respond to the environmental health issues extant among the Maasai. .

This course will provide students with experience in assessing and analyzing public health and environmental concerns in identified Maasai communities in partnership with NIDRA (Nomadic Integrated Development Research Agency), a local community-based health organization. This program is a graduate-level field course open to both graduate and qualified undergraduates in public health, nursing, pre-med, medical and health sciences.

Field Expeditions and Exercises

• Visit Maasai villages & group ranches, local health clinics & dispensaries, HIV/Aids clinics, and Amboseli National Parks
• Learn about the historical, socioeconomic, cultural, environmental, political, and health aspects of life in Kenya.

• Assess and analyze health issues and report findings and recommendations to key stakeholders and communities of interest.

Visit www.fieldstudies.org for a more complete description of this program and to take a virtual tour of our field station.