About GlobeMed@Brown

GlobeMed@Brown is a student-run nonprofit that is partnered with a grassroots organization in Nairobi, Kenya called U-Tena to address issues of sexual and reproductive health in a sustainable way.

 

About U-Tena

Ungano Tena (U-Tena) is Swahili for, re-uniting - coming back together.  

 

U-Tena is a grass-roots community based organization created by youth from the  Viwandani-Mukuru slum in East Nairobi.  U-Tena was created in 2005 and was registered with the Kenyan Ministry of Gender and Social Services (2006) and with the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (2008) as well as forming various partnerships with other government ministries (2007).  In 2010 the U-Tena Arts and Education Society was established in Vancouver Canada. Through music, dance, puppetry, and theatre, U-Tena provides free popular education; teaching communities about HIV, STI, sexual health, reproductive health, and other related topics.    

 

U-Tena performances are delivered at a variety of community forums and are facilitated to elicit audience participation. Through performance U-Tena is able to dispel myths related to HIV transmission, to encourage testing and treatment, to encourage 100% condom use, and to encourage discussions around family planning, sexual and reproductive health and HIV. 

 

Not only is U-Tena using creative novel mediums for educating, U-Tena members are residents of the slum and are therefore well situated to identify and understand the unique health needs of the community.  Members are trained and qualified to deliver accurate and culturally appropriate health education.  They are known and trusted by the community and have within their limited capacity been successful in delivering health messaging.

 

Mission
GlobeMed aims to strengthen the movement for global health equity by empowering students and communities to work together to improve the health of the impoverished around the world.

Vision 
One billion people across the world lack access to health care systems. Each day, more than 36,000 people die preventable deaths. Without addressing poverty and poor health, we cannot break this cycle of suffering.

University students have the passion and energy to help tackle this challenge. GlobeMed aims to meet this challenge by engaging and training students to work with grassroots organizations across the world to improve the health of the impoverished. By partnering students and communities to combat poverty and poor health, we improve the lives of thousands of impoverished people across the world today and shape tomorrow’s leaders across all professions who will share a deep commitment to health equity and social justice.

The chapter of GlobeMed at Brown will work specifically with fundraisers for a community in Kenya and will allow members to directly see how our money is being used. We have the ability to hold our partners accountable and make sure that sustainable change is taking place. It is through GlobeMed's unique partnerships with communities and the relationships we build that we can truly make a difference.