Addie's Rwanda EWH Summer Institute
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Engineering World Health Summer Institute in Rwanda, Africa
Hello,
I am Adelina Cecilia Ramirez (Addie), and I am a junior Biomedical Engineering student at Texas A&M University. I have been dreaming about participating in the EWH Rwanda Summer Institute since I first heard about it during my first semester at A&M.
The Opportunity
Rwanda is experiencing a remarkable recovery from a devastating civil war that occurred in 1994. However, the nation still suffers from a severe lack of trained personnel in the healthcare professions. Much of the medical equipment in Rwandan hospitals is now non-functional. As a result, the health system of Rwanda loses the opportunity to treat and diagnose patients.
The Summer Institute, in participation with Duke University and Texas A&M University, trains and places up to 22 program participants to assist 10 hospitals with critical medical device repairs and other services. Participants begin with a month in Kigali taking courses in both biomedical equipment and local languages. After the first month of training, students begin work with an EWH partner hospital in groups of two or three. They then work closely with EWH trained biomedical equipment technicians who are employed at these hospitals and are burdened with an overload of work and limited resources. Summer Institute participants help with equipment repairs, execute trainings, install equipment, or perform other engineering duties for the hospitals. Participants also shadow and interview key hospital staff.
For more information about the program, the cost, and 2016 summer schedule please click on this link: http://www.ewh.org/rwanda
Please click on this video to see a presentaton created by Jami Johnson, a 2013 Rwanda Summer Institute Participant from Boise, ID:
My Call to Participate
When I first heard about this opportunity to help the Rwandan people, I knew right away that I was being called to participate. A traditional study aboad program would not be enough. The Rwanda Summer Institute is so much more. It forces participants to be passionate about helping those less fortunate, and to be more empathetic of those suffering. The program teaches participants to be even more focused in giving of self and using the experience to grow in charity, integrity, and global perspective. Because I did not want to loose out in such an experience, I prepared heavily for my application since it is a very selective process.
If chosen to participate, I could look forward to not only directly helping the people of Rwanda as they rebuild their community, I would also have huge doors open for me in the form of vocational direction, quality internships, and best career opportunities because of the nature of this program.
Now that I have been selected to participate for the 2016 May 29 -July 31 summer institute, I am in the process of securing the finances needed for this progam's costs.
The Cost
The tuition and housing total cost is $9,250.
The round-trip flight to Kigali is $2,200.
Remaining meals and other expenses will be about $700.
Total cost will be $12,150
I have received $5,500 in scholarships from Texas A&M and from the Engineering World Health Organization.
I am responsible for $6650.
I am asking for donations to help cover the rest of the tuition and airfair costs, which is a total of $5600.
To Donate
You have the option to donate through this GoFundMe website, or you may choose to contact me through email, phone number, or Facebook to make a donation offline.
Because I believe in this program so strongly, I used my small savings account to pay for the balance owed on April 1, 2016. Anything I receive now will be used to reimburse my savings account which I have set aside for graduate school.
Thank you for your consideration!
Sincerely,
Addie
Hello,
I am Adelina Cecilia Ramirez (Addie), and I am a junior Biomedical Engineering student at Texas A&M University. I have been dreaming about participating in the EWH Rwanda Summer Institute since I first heard about it during my first semester at A&M.
The Opportunity
Rwanda is experiencing a remarkable recovery from a devastating civil war that occurred in 1994. However, the nation still suffers from a severe lack of trained personnel in the healthcare professions. Much of the medical equipment in Rwandan hospitals is now non-functional. As a result, the health system of Rwanda loses the opportunity to treat and diagnose patients.
The Summer Institute, in participation with Duke University and Texas A&M University, trains and places up to 22 program participants to assist 10 hospitals with critical medical device repairs and other services. Participants begin with a month in Kigali taking courses in both biomedical equipment and local languages. After the first month of training, students begin work with an EWH partner hospital in groups of two or three. They then work closely with EWH trained biomedical equipment technicians who are employed at these hospitals and are burdened with an overload of work and limited resources. Summer Institute participants help with equipment repairs, execute trainings, install equipment, or perform other engineering duties for the hospitals. Participants also shadow and interview key hospital staff.
For more information about the program, the cost, and 2016 summer schedule please click on this link: http://www.ewh.org/rwanda
Please click on this video to see a presentaton created by Jami Johnson, a 2013 Rwanda Summer Institute Participant from Boise, ID:
My Call to Participate
When I first heard about this opportunity to help the Rwandan people, I knew right away that I was being called to participate. A traditional study aboad program would not be enough. The Rwanda Summer Institute is so much more. It forces participants to be passionate about helping those less fortunate, and to be more empathetic of those suffering. The program teaches participants to be even more focused in giving of self and using the experience to grow in charity, integrity, and global perspective. Because I did not want to loose out in such an experience, I prepared heavily for my application since it is a very selective process.
If chosen to participate, I could look forward to not only directly helping the people of Rwanda as they rebuild their community, I would also have huge doors open for me in the form of vocational direction, quality internships, and best career opportunities because of the nature of this program.
Now that I have been selected to participate for the 2016 May 29 -July 31 summer institute, I am in the process of securing the finances needed for this progam's costs.
The Cost
The tuition and housing total cost is $9,250.
The round-trip flight to Kigali is $2,200.
Remaining meals and other expenses will be about $700.
Total cost will be $12,150
I have received $5,500 in scholarships from Texas A&M and from the Engineering World Health Organization.
I am responsible for $6650.
I am asking for donations to help cover the rest of the tuition and airfair costs, which is a total of $5600.
To Donate
You have the option to donate through this GoFundMe website, or you may choose to contact me through email, phone number, or Facebook to make a donation offline.
Because I believe in this program so strongly, I used my small savings account to pay for the balance owed on April 1, 2016. Anything I receive now will be used to reimburse my savings account which I have set aside for graduate school.
Thank you for your consideration!
Sincerely,
Addie
Organizer
Addie Ramirez
Organizer
Harlingen, TX