A student at the University of Northern British Columbia recently returned from a “life-changing” experience in Kenya, where she helped provide medical relief to underprivileged Kenyan children as part of a summer school program delivered by Harvard University.

Alexandra (Allie) Dickson of Burns Lake, a fourth-year Health Sciences student at UNBC, participated in the Harvard Summer School Program in Kisumu, Kenya for six weeks this summer. She worked in the Outpatient Therapeutic Program at the Kisumu Medical and Education Trust, where she screened and treated malnourished children as young as six months old.

Download high-resolution image (2MB)

“This program gave me great insight into how much cultures can differ, and that you often can’t treat problems the same way in parts of Africa as you do in Canada,” says Dickson, who says she wants to live and work in Northern BC, and is strongly considering becoming a doctor by way of the Northern Medical Program at UNBC. “If I become a doctor in Northern BC, this experience will be very valuable in informing the way I deal with health issues. You can’t just throw money at health issues in Africa; you have to confront them in person.”

The Summer School Program included a combination of lectures from Harvard professors and consultants, both from Kenya and the United States, and involved a lot of on-the-ground community involvement in Kenyan communities. Dickson participated in a full week of lectures and then began working in the Outpatient Therapeutic Program screening and treating children for both moderate and severe malnutrition. Screening often involved going into informal settlements to complete quick assessments on children, while treatment options often took place in either a clinic or hospital setting.

As part of the Program, Dickson also participated in a group with two students from Harvard University working to develop a program to alleviate the effects of developmental delay, which commonly affects children who suffer from malnutrition. The program, known as "Playing for Growth", was designed to teach caregivers how to stimulate child development through interactions in a home environment. The target demographic was caregivers; education of Community Health Workers, however, was also included in the program, which gave examples of play techniques, activities to carry out at home, and information on the importance of children reaching their development milestones. 

“It was truly an unforgettable experience,” says Dickson, who is also an accomplished biathlete, having competed in the 2011 Canada Winter Games in Halifax. She is one of the top-ranked biathlon coaches in the province with plans to coach in the sport at the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George.