Get to know your SAFE Domestic Interns: Bona Ko

Introducing Bona Ko, Safe Mothers Safe Babies' Internship Coordinator at Columbia University:

"Hello to everyone working at and supporting SAFE. I am Bona, the Columbia University Internship Coordinator. As Columbia's internship coordinator I have worked on recruiting and selecting students to pursue practicums at SAFE, as well as guiding a current Columbia intern as she prepares to make a trip to Uganda this summer. I have also coordinated fundraisers and tried to spread SAFE's good work to people who are interested. 

I will soon be graduating from Columbia's Mailman School of Public health with an MPH in environmental toxicology this coming May. After I finish my MPH I will be starting medical school in Cleveland, Ohio. I got involved in SAFE a few months back when I realized that Jacquie, a fellow alumnus of Vassar College, has successfully turned the Vassar Uganda Project into a full time non-profit organization. I was one of the members of the Vassar Uganda Project as an EMT and made a trip to Uganda several years ago. This was a seminal trip and time for me, where I realized that I wanted to devote my life to better people's lives. In the future, with my MD and MPH degrees I hope to be able to influence policy makers and aid organizations anywhere in the world to improve access to health and education.

I feel very fortunate to work with such a creative and hardworking team of women and men. It is really great to see one person's idea turn into an organization that makes a meaningful difference in Uganda."

Government negligence and women's rights

Maternal health in Uganda continues to be compromised as a result of a lacking government. As described in the following article, it is not for a dearth of ideas of how to improve the access and quality of maternal and neonatal healthcare; rather, it is the lack of action on these ideas that results in so many preventable deaths.

The article also highlights the fact that many of these deaths happen because there is no light to ensure easy deliveries and safe emergency procedures to deal with complications during childbirth. SAFE is doing as much as we can through the Light the Night program to help eradicate this fundamental problem, but the Ugandan government must also take action to protect women's rights and the health of mothers and babies.

Check out the article below:

http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/article/2012/04/02/uganda-womens-rights-maternal-health-fall-to-back-line-once-again

Get to know your SAFE Domestic Interns: Corrine Christison

Meet Corrine, our Administrative Coordinator!

Hello! My name is Corrine Christison.  Before I tell you about my work at SAFE, I feel like I need to introduce myself.  I'm a soon-to-be college graduate with a BA in Social- Cultural Anthropology from BYU.  I love anthropology more than anything in the world... okay, maybe not more than ice cream but its a close tie!  My favorite animal is the bear and has been since I was 7 years old.  I want to eventually become a professor of Anthropology at some prestigious school while doing development research in Africa to keep my tenure.  

Speaking of Africa and development, it is those two interests that lead me to SAFE.  I met Jacquie when she came to speak in one of my classes.  I was really impressed and decided that this was an organization I would love to help with.  One thing led to another and I ended up becoming the Administrative Coordinator.  I'm in charge of scheduling meetings, taking minutes during those meetings, and other things to help deal with the more organiational stuff at SAFE.  It is so much fun because I get to work with all the different aspects-- the Board members, the domestic interns, the international interns, etc.... and I'm always caught up with what is happening at SAFE.  

In my opinion, SAFE is a GREAT organization that first and foremost, wants to help the people of Uganda in ways that they want to be helped; as an anthropologist, I can't really ask for anything more!