IWA graduate makes a difference in Uganda

While most teens would spend their first summer off from college catching up with hometown friends and relaxing by the beach, Julia Baker took an alternate route when making her summer plans. The graduate of Incarnate Word Academy, Class of 2012, spent six weeks as an intern for the organization GlobeMed, working to improve healthcare for the people of the town of Gulu, located in northern Uganda.

Baker, 19, a parishioner of St. Patrick’s Parish in Corpus Christi, attends the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She joined GlobeMed in the fall of her freshman year. GlobeMed works through college students to promote global health, with a focus on acknowledging and respecting the value of all human lives.

Baker said she was attracted to the organization because of the unique approach they take to help impoverished communities. GlobeMed acknowledges that the local community leaders understand their community and its needs better than outsiders, so the focus is placed on working in harmony with these leaders to discover the best ways to provide adequate healthcare to the members of the community.

GlobeMed partnered with Health Alert- Uganda, whose primary focus is on mothers and children who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. As a GROW (Grassroots On-Site Work) intern for GlobeMed, Baker worked directly with the people of Gulu affected by HIV/AIDS through Mama Kits and the Peer Support Program.

Mama Kits are stocked with supplies to ensure a safe and sterile childbirth procedure, which in turn works to reduce the rate of HIV infections passed from mother to child. The Peer Support Program gives youth who are HIV positive an environment that they can feel comfortable discussing HIV/AIDS. Instead of the isolation felt by most HIV positive youth, the support program gives them an outlet where they can be open about the disease, while relating to youth in similar situations.

The first four weeks of her trip, Baker lodged in a hotel, but was housed by a local staff member, Caroline, for the remaining two weeks, transforming the internship into a full-time experience. Living with Caroline and experiencing the culture of Uganda first hand was the most eye-opening experience she had, Baker said.

Baker had the opportunity to eat the traditional Ugandan meals and was “pleasantly surprised” by how much she enjoyed the rich flavor of the local food. Along with getting to embrace the food, Baker, an avid runner, was able to forge a friendship with a local runner who acted as Baker’s mentor during her time in Uganda.

Baker, who is majoring in photojournalism, says that she looks forward to continuing to do work similar to this is the future.

“It is my goal to continue this type of work in Gulu, Uganda or any other community in which I am needed. Traveling is something that brings me much fulfillment because becoming a part of a new community is one of the most challenging and exciting experiences,” Baker said. “Understanding a community through the eyes of its people etches an image in my mind that I long to portray through my photographs and words.”

She said that, “While traveling abroad brings its rewards in the form of immersing myself in distinct traditions, especially unique cuisines, I also know that I am needed by my community at home. For now, that home is Chapel Hill, North Carolina and I will continue to serve this community to the fullest extent that I can.”

For more information on Baker’s trip, visit her blog, featuring pictures and stories from her internship. http://juliaingulu.wordpress.com/.