During my internship with Gulu Women’s Economic Development and Globalization (GWED-G), I contributed to various projects that advanced the organization's mission to empower women in war-affected communities in Northern Uganda to gain autonomy and make effective decisions concerning their rights, health, and development.

One of my key contributions was distributing safe birthing kits — MAAMA kits — to HIV-positive mothers across more than ten villages. This initiative directly supports GWED-G’s mission by reducing the risk of HIV transmission from mother to child. The birthing kits provides essential supplies for safe childbirth, such as clean towels, soap, a basin, and a sterile scalpel, which are vital for improving maternal and infant health outcomes in these vulnerable communities. I conducted over twenty interviews with the beneficiaries of GWED-G’s work and documented its positive impact on women and families in Gulu through stories of change. We conducted fieldwork visits multiple times a week and often talked to the women right outside their homes. Through this project, we captured personal narratives and success stories to highlight the organization's achievements and promote further community engagement and support. I also contributed to an adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights educational discussion group. This community dialogue tackled challenging topics, from teenage pregnancy to gender-based violence. We encouraged safer sex practices, conducted a comprehensive condom demonstration, and distributed free condoms. By educating these youths, we provided them with the tools to prevent teenage pregnancy, granting them greater autonomy in their reproductive lives. I was also involved in advancing WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) initiatives by line-listing data at local health care facilities to find target communities and combating the spread of HIV/AIDS by contributing to awareness campaigns and education and training programs. I was the lead photographer, and I captured over 100 publishable images throughout our fieldwork visits. These photos will be used as promotional materials for GWED-G’s fundraising efforts, raising funds to support the women and families of Gulu.Through these diverse projects, I contributed to GWED-G's overarching goal of empowering communities and improving health outcomes, particularly for women and children, in Northern Uganda.

As a gender and sexuality studies major at Barnard, I have learned about the importance of awareness, knowledge, and action specifically regarding women’s health issues and diverse sexualities. I found this knowledge to be vital to my work in Northern Uganda. Thanks to Introduction to Sexuality Studies, a class I took during my sophomore year, I went into this experience with an understanding of the intricacies of culture and sexuality. This allowed me to respectfully communicate with the people in Gulu, ensuring that our projects were inclusive and understanding of local values. In Gulu, there was an emphasis on women dressing conservatively, and I noticed the presence of a victim-blaming narrative. We had to carefully educate the people of Gulu about the harms of these narratives, to instill more bodily autonomy to the women of Gulu, while still respecting their culture. Interviewing and talking with youth requires a unique skill set, navigating around feelings of shame and resistance. Through coursework in the education department, I learned techniques for interacting with youth and adolescents, specifically centering their autonomy and individual experiences. With this, I was able to provide the adolescents with a safe space to discuss sensitive topics such as sexuality, even offering advice if they requested it.

The primary challenge I faced was frustration with the reality of the women in the communities we served. It was emotionally draining to hear stories of abuse and the shame expressed by the women. For example, I would hear stories of women attempting to gain autonomy by getting birth control at a local clinic, and being reprimanded for it by their husbands. It was easy to feel disillusioned when confronted with the extensive health and social issues that these communities faced daily. It struck me that even with the great support these women received through GWED-G, they still faced incredible hardships due to barriers to the most basic of human needs, such as food and education. Unfortunately, this is the reality of doing international humanitarian work; you are directly faced with the immense inequalities that exist in this world.

Although I participated in and led various educational talks and initiatives, I believe that I too walked away with immense knowledge and understanding from the village members in Gulu, Uganda. Through my interviews, I was able to see directly how individual people were being impacted by larger systemic issues in a way that I was never able to in my classes. This experience has inspired me to do further international humanitarian work and to delve into human rights and public health research. Although it was incredibly difficult, being out in the field made me feel that I was making a difference in the individual lives of these community members. I was able to laugh and play games with the children of these villages, granting a moment of respite from the difficult conditions they faced. The adolescents in these communities inspired me to focus my senior thesis on international comprehensive sexual education efforts. As they told me their stories on how sexual education efforts from GWED-G redirected their life path by preventing teenage pregnancy and granting them greater autonomy, I was amazed by their resilience. Working with GWED-G showed me the importance of grassroots efforts in addressing complex challenges. By contributing to the distribution of safe birthing kits, advancing WASH initiatives, participating in sexual and reproductive health educational talks, and supporting HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns, I saw firsthand how local solutions can lead to significant improvements in health and well-being.