Peace Corps Community Health Outreach Volunteer Mozambique, East Africa

Presented By

Elizabeth Humphrey

Presentation Date

04/10/2019

Penn Nursing Degree(s)

BSN ’19

Beth Humphrey served as a Community Health Outreach Volunteer in Mozambique from 2016 to 2018. Beth was placed with a health center in Zambézia, a province in Northern Mozambique with one of the highest rates of maternal mortality, malaria and HIV infection in the country.

She lived in a small but populous town with no access to electricity. At the health center her primary projects revolved around HIV/AIDS testing and treatment adherence, malaria prevention and treatment, and gender‐based violence awareness. Beth also met regularly with traditional midwives and traditional medicine men and women. Historically, there has been a significant gap between traditional and Western medicine in Mozambique, but Beth was able to develop strong relationships with these practitioners so that they felt comfortable accompanying their patients to the health center.

Before leaving for Mozambique Beth knew she wanted to become a nurse and this desire was only strengthened during her service. Beth chose Penn because of its strong commitment to global health, to diversity, and to working with underserved communities. She hopes one day to return to Mozambique as a nurse working with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) or another organization providing quality care to the people that she holds dear to her heart.