Student Profile: Bringing Safe Water to Batwa Communities in Uganda
Student Profile: Aaron Koenig
In Buhoma, Uganda, Aaron Koenig (left) shared household water treatment with Batwa communities and joined Bwindi Community Hospital’s medical outreach with emergency room nurse Tushabe Novence.
Project at A Glance
Practicum Location
Buhoma, Uganda
Focus Areas
Water, Sanitation & Hygiene | Indigenous Health | Community Health
Degree & Department
MPH, Tropical Medicine & Infectious Disease
WSPH Faculty Advisor
Dr. Latha Rajan
Partner Organizations
Bwindi Community Hospital
Batwa Development Program
About Bwindi Community Hospital
Bwindi Community Hospital is a not-for-profit community hospital in Kanungu, Uganda, under the Church of Uganda's Diocese of Kinkiizi. It provides preventive and curative care for roughly 120,000 people, including maternal and child health, community health, laboratory services, and HIV and TB care. It also trains health workers.
Future Plans
I am doing a Fogarty LAUNCH research fellowship in Sierra Leone, developing perinatal pathology research in partnership with Kenema Government Hospital.
Project Details
What did you do in your practicum?
I presented household drinking water treatment to Batwa indigenous communities with the Batwa Development Program. The Batwa live in settlements on the outskirts of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwestern Uganda. They were evicted from the park around 1992 for mountain gorilla conservation. I also had the opportunity to take part in medical outreaches of Bwindi Community Hospital and observe the work of its medical laboratory.
How did this opportunity come about?
I consulted with my faculty advisor, Dr. Latha Rajan from the Department of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, who has helped many of her students complete practicums at Bwindi Community Hospital. She helped me prepare for the experience and supported me throughout. I also received help from Tulane alumni Julia Lippert and Dr. Scott Kellermann. I was fortunate to receive funding from the Penny Jessop Travel Fund and the Office of Global Health.
What advice do you have for other students to make the most of their time at Tulane?
Find your passions within public health through your coursework. Talk with your advisors as early as your first semester about possible APE sites, especially if you are interested in going abroad. And be flexible, because you can learn a lot from public health experience in places and ways you don't expect.
Being away from home can be stressful. Keeping perspective, reminding yourself of your strengths, and sharing your experiences can help you feel happy abroad and make a positive impact on behalf of the organizations you work with.
Interested in an International APE?
Are you a student interested in pursuing an APE internationally or participating in other WSPH international opportunities? Visit here to find out more.