'Seeds' of Compassion

Biology major Natalie Nyambura ’16 inspired real-life victories from classroom lessons during an eight-week internship in Africa. A native of Kenya with a passion for public health, Nyambura jumped at the opportunity to intern in the city of Nairobi with an organization called Kenya Social Ventures. Nyambura was placed at the Seed Academy in nearby Kiberia, one of Africa’s largest slums, as a school health intern.

There, Nyambura administered basic health checks to some of the 87 students ranging in age from two to thirteen. She also met with parents to discuss concerns for their children’s health and offered beneficial information to the students. A native speaker of Swahili, Nyambura was an asset to her team of interns from around the globe.

On her own, Nyambura discovered a free clinic that offered treatment to children in Kiberia suffering from ringworms, one of the area’s largest health concerns. Upon sharing the information with her supervisors, a partnership was created with the clinic and a plan was put in place to administer regular treatment.

Nyambura also assisted a fellow intern who was conducting mental health evaluations at Seed Academy, gaining a deeper understanding of some of the mental and social issues the children were facing. Health education is not usually included in the Kenyan school system until students are in high school, making this need for education and assistance vital.

Nyambura completed her internship with a better understanding of global health and a greater appreciation for all the blessings in her own life. 

“I’ve learned to take nothing for granted,” she reflected. Nyambura hopes to take what she learned and apply it to a career in public health.