She valued the field trips and the contact to the local population in Sambia.
What was your job at SAD?
I was a project officer for the Aids orphans project that we implemented on behalf of the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development. In this research project, we looked at the effectiveness of various psychosocial instruments for supporting Aids orphans in southern Africa – in villages in Zambia to be precise.
What is the best memory you have from your time at SAD?
I really value the experiences that I had with SAD. For example, getting a study up-and-running in Africa, and guiding and leading a local research group. The contact with the local population was particularly valuable because it gave me an idea of the challenges facing these people in their daily lives.
Where do you work now and what do you do?
Now I’m working in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as a technical assistant of the South Congo United Methodist Health Board. I support the local churches with the institutional organisation of the health board, particularly regarding governance, as well as with the implementation of various health projects. At the moment, we are particularly focused on a malaria programme that is supported with money from the US, and which we are implementing in cooperation with the National Malaria Control Program.