2015
Project title: Community Based Water Quality Monitoring and Water-borne Disease Prevention in Rural Ecuador
Undergraduate Student: Erin Crain
Community Partner: Ceiba Foundation for Tropical Conservation
The goal of this project was to use biological data analysis to plan a constructive way to communicate environmental disease threats and preventive measures to the local communities, which incorporated biology, global health, language and cultural knowledge. Using statistical analysis to determine the most frequent pathogens and create a histogram of pathogen infection frequency relative to age. Using this data, I created an educational presentation and designed a campaign to educate Jama County community members on the environmental risks of pathogen transmission due to contaminated water. I conducted biological literature research to assess transmission and risks of the pathogens in Jama and created and gave an educational presentation in Spanish to students in Jama on health implications and prevention of the diseases. This project will benefit the local communities by empowering them to improve water quality and detect and prevent health risks. My work as a global health student has helped maintain and improve the ongoing water quality project and has reinforced the relationship between the community, Ceiba, and UW Madison, which will facilitate continued educational exchange.
2014
Physical Therapy Students Partner with Andean Health and Development
Who: Jesse Majxner & Guillermo Contreras
Project: In March 2014 two physical therapy students and one UW-Madison DPT adjunct faculty traveled to the rural area of Santo Domingo, Ecuador to complete the following objectives: 1) educate Ecuadorian family practice physicians on differential diagnosis and basic management of low back pain and common shoulder pathology seen in rural Ecuador; 2) educate Ecuadorian family practice physicians on the role of Physical Therapy with these conditions; 3) increase the awareness of physical therapists role in hospitals and clinics with regards to referral and consultation.
2013
Global Health Microenterprise in Ecuador
WHO: Carybeth Reddy, Megan Hall, Monica Rodgers, Mollie Overby, Christina Goddard
PROJECT: Our community partner in La Calera, Ecuador is an indigenous women’s group called Sumak Muyo, (“Good Seed” in Quichua). Artisans of Sumak Muyo approached UW faculty to collaborate over their jewelry made from local materials. They hoped to target the international market and improve and differentiate their line of jewelry.
The local women received guidance in marketing and standardization while teaching students about local issues students observed the potential of ecotourism in the community, which is a possible future project for a service learning group students learned about the history and context of Sumak Muyo Students and members of Sumak Muyo worked together to develop the jewelry line. They created templates and used measuring tape provided by the student group to standardize the jewelry.
Through collaborative efforts, the groups were able to streamline production and marketing of the artisan products. Students followed-up with the following projects
- a catalog in English and Spanish for businesses to order jewelry
- a log system to track orders and ensure fulfillment and shipping
- tags of women and their biographies to make the product more attractive and personal
- a product sourcing photo journal for purchasers and vendors to understand the process undertaken to make the jewelry
- cost analysis of the products and assessment of feasibility of prices compared to costs.
This project strengthened UW’s relationship with the community; women were more comfortable giving their honest opinions of what worked and didn’t. In the coming months/years we will see the effectiveness of this project in giving women an opportunity for economic involvement outside the domestic urban sphere. Course instructors led discussion with students and assigned reflective assignments to measure personal growth. Students learned about the connection between gender, social status, income, etc. and their relationship with health status. The emphasis of this trip is a well-mentored student leadership experience in which students are encouraged to provide useful service other communities while at the same time learning about the strengths and cultural richness of those communities. We strive to work together with the community to develop a microenterprise run by women through a mutually beneficial relationship.