In my internship with Gulu Women’s Economic Development and Globalization (GWED-G), a grassroots organization in northern Uganda, I supported HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns, reproductive health education, and gender-based violence (GBV) prevention initiatives in rural villages across the Amuru and Gulu districts. I assisted staff in conducting and documenting community sensitization sessions, collecting data, and drafting program reports to support advocacy and funding proposals.

The sensitization sessions revealed how deeply health challenges are tied to social and economic dynamics. In Orima Village, participants openly debated the causes of domestic violence, with men and women trading accusations of neglect and mistrust. Discussions expanded to include emotional, cultural, and economic violence, highlighting how household conflict often stems from unequal control over resources. In Patiko Sub-County, where GBV has been normalized to the extent that lives have been lost, community leaders began drafting bylaws to address family-based violence, particularly during harvest seasons when alcohol consumption rises. At Gira Gira Parish, teenage pregnancy was identified as both a public health and cultural issue, with myths and stigma surrounding family planning undermining its use despite government provision. In Atota Village, residents noted that HIV prevalence remains particularly high, while conversations about economic violence and the misuse of harvest income revealed the need for joint financial decision-making and stronger household communication. In Guru Guru Sub-County, our team visited Olwal Mucaja Primary School, where students shared that menstruation, lack of hygiene products, and early marriages drove girls out of classrooms. Witnessing these dynamics deepened my understanding of how GWED-G’s strategies—engaging Village Health Teams, empowering savings groups, and training ‘Role Model Men’—confront intersecting forces of poverty, stigma, and gender inequality.

Throughout the summer, I drew on my public health background to synthesize discussions, identify patterns, and capture community perspectives with accuracy and sensitivity. Documenting these sessions required not only data collection but also contextual awareness: understanding how alcohol use during harvests intensified GBV, why misinformation about family planning persisted, and how cultural deterioration weakened community protections for children. Working closely with translators and field officers sharpened my ability to communicate across linguistic and cultural divides, while adapting to rural environments taught me the practical challenges of delivering health education in resource-constrained settings. The gap between classroom learning and lived reality narrowed as I applied theoretical knowledge of social determinants of health to the struggles voiced in homes, markets, and schools.

The work was not without challenges. Language barriers often limited my ability to build deep personal connections, and long travel times and logistical constraints required patience and flexibility. The stories were often emotionally heavy—accounts of early pregnancies, economic exploitation, and cycles of violence that left children vulnerable and families fractured. Yet these challenges became opportunities for growth. They pushed me to rely on humility, cultural competence, and teamwork while strengthening my adaptability when plans changed due to weather, transportation, or urgent community needs.

This experience reinforced the importance of trust, relationships, and locally led solutions. I learned that HIV prevention cannot be separated from discussions about marital dynamics; that family planning requires both access and social acceptance; and that education for girls depends not only on schools but also on addressing menstruation, child marriage, and poverty. GWED-G’s work showed me that sustainable change begins in conversations between neighbors, families, and local leaders. I returned from this internship with a deeper understanding of post-conflict recovery and a renewed commitment to global health equity, inspired by the resilience and vision of the communities I had the privilege to learn from.