In this episode, we speak with Master of Public Health students Bethel Abraham and Sona Fall about their study abroad course in Tanzania, which focused on low-cost strategies for waterborne diseases and waste management. We explore their journeys from pre-med backgrounds to public health—Sona’s pivot occurred after realizing she could impact lives outside a clinic , while Bethel moved toward systemic change after witnessing the political and healthcare systems affecting children in emergency units. They share how their work with the Applied Global Public Health Initiative (AGPHI) led them to Dar es Salaam. Bethel and Sona detail their work alongside UNICEF and the Ministry of Health, describing an environment where health officials took time off their jobs to learn as equals with students. They discuss the "unlearning" required after their initial focus on malaria and cholera shifted; upon arriving at the Azimio Ward, they found their bus blocked by a massive puddle of standstill water and realized residents prioritized waste management over disease data. By using systems mapping to visualize community outcomes, they pivoted their interventions to address the lack of infrastructure. This episode is a lesson in grounding strategy in empathy and recognizing community members as the experts.
