alex goodell

Away to Burundi

10.8.09

Dear Friends and Family:

I’m hoping that some of you may have heard a rumor that I was going to Burundi in East Africa. My mother and girlfriend have done a better job than I in telling people, so I’m glad that I’m able to finally sit down and explain exactly what I’m doing. I waited until my tickets were purchased (about 4 hours ago) to write this, because I’ve learned that plans are always somewhat in-the-air when you’re working with non-profits, or when you’re working in a rural, sometimes turbulent area.

Which takes me to the beginning–the nation of Burundi and its civil war. Many of you have heard of the genocide in Rwanda: either you’re my age and remember teachers explaining the conflict, or watched a movie called “Hotel Rwanda”; or maybe you’re older and remember watching the violence on TV, astonished that neighbors would kill neighbors with machetes because of the shape of their nose, or the nature of their build. Perhaps you read a book on the genocide, or have followed the current violence in Darfur, the DRC, or Uganda. For some reason, however, the 13-year genocide that occurred a hundred miles south of Rwanda, in Burundi, which killed upwards of 300,000, remains strangely absent in the American psyche. The causes are arguable–”ethnic strife” is a phrase commonly used to describe the conflict, though these “ethnicities” look the same, speak the same language, eat the same food, and dance the same dances. Colonialism is often blamed, and it is hardly free of guilt. But my initial instinct is that this was a war of inequality and poverty, a war fought over the little resources the poor of our world are allocated. Whatever the cause, the results are clear. A war from 1993-2005 removed the ability of government to govern, police to police, and healthcare to care. In 2006, Burundi was ranked as the world’s poorest nation, with an average yearly income of $86. A nation of eight million, it boasts 200 physicians. This would be the same as if Seattle had 17 doctors, or Portland had 14.

Why would I want to go to such a place? With great need comes great opportunity, and I’ve been blessed in my opportunities. I’d first like to share the story of my friend, Deo, as he’s the reason I’ll be going.

Deo was born to an impoverished life in rural Burundi. He, an energetic and intelligent man, aspired to become a physician–he wanted to build a clinic for the poor of his area. He got top scores throughout his medical schooling, and entered residency in 1992. The next year, his hospital was attacked my militiamen. He narrowly escaped death, hiding under a bed while he heard his fellow doctors and nurses murdered outside. After some time, he escaped. He was on the run, sleeping in the forest for months until he was fortunate enough to get a ticket to the United States. He arrived in New York City with $200. Alone, with no English skills, the top-of-his-class physician slept in Central Park. He got a job as a grocery-delivery boy, but was made fun of for his lack of English. Fate, fortune, perhaps God led him to an ex-nun, Sharon McKenna, and then Charlie and Nancy Wolfe, who let him into their house. He learned English, reading dictionaries at the public library. He decided that he was going to pursue medicine again, that he was going to become an American-trained physician. But, he had to go to college, once more, in the US. He applied and was accepted to Columbia University. He then attended public health classes at Harvard, and continued to medical school at Dartmouth. He took a leave of absence in 2006, when he returned to Burundi to begin work on his life’s aspiration: a medical clinic for the poor. He called it “Village Health Works.” Since its opening three years ago, it has treated 28000 patients, built six buildings, provided clean water to a community, and proven that dignified healthcare is possible even in the poorest areas of the world. Tracy Kidder, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Mountains Beyond Mountains, just released a biography of Deo entitled Strength in What Remains. It’s available online or at any major bookstore (it’s really popular, most likely in the front of any common store).

I met Deo at the Spring 2009 FACE AIDS conference, and knew he would be a great leader, a true hero, of my generation. When I was in New York this summer, I volunteered at their New York office, and was eventually offered to volunteer in Kigutu, Burundi, at their clinic for the academic year. I’ll be leaving on October 15th, and am currently in New York working in the VHW office.

I’m honored to be able to serve such an important organization fighting for, what in my opinion may be the most important of causes, the right to dignified healthcare. We live in a world where the 100 most rich people have more money than the bottom one billion people, where millions die of starvation and diarrhea every year.   I pray that my generation can, and will, end this craziness.

What can you do?

-Sign up for email updates of my blog: http://alexgoodell.com/subscribe

-Read Tracy Kidder’s Strength in What Remains: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1400066212/?tag=villhealwork-20 (purchasing through this links give ~10% to VHW.

-Visit http://villagehealthworks.org

-Donate a used cell phone: http://hopephones.org

-Donate money: This organization is incredibly small (remember, I built the website!). We need money for blankets, flip flops, etc. $5 or $10 goes a long way. http://villagehealthworks.org/donate

Tagged: burundi, deo, global health, tracy kidder, village health works, volunteering