(image from www.villagehealthworks.org)
Today, just in time for midnight, I’d like shout out to blog action day. What’s blog action day? From the blog action day website:
Today thousands of bloggers will unite to discuss a single issue - poverty. We aim to raise awareness, initiate action and to shake the web!
For my part, I’d like to let you know about an organization called Village Health Works. They do amazing work in Burundi, a small country in east Africa. They work in a small village called Kigutu. VHW and the people of Kigutu definitely have their work cut out for them; the 2006 World Bank statistics peg Burundi as the poorest country in the world and most Burundians are not able to access effective medical care.
Where there is health, there is hope, is the VHW motto. It pretty well sums up my opinion of medicine, and captures why I want to be a physician. It’s about using medical science, collegiality, empathy and entrepreneurship to offer health and hope to people who would otherwise go without. That’s why I hope to join my good friend Joey in Burundi, and work with VHW sometime after I graduate.
If the VHW cause speaks to you, please check out the powerful slide show they recently put on their website, and consider pitching them a few bucks to help with the wonderful work they do.
And if you are interested in more Blog action Day stuff, check out their website, or my friend Daniel’s blog action day post.
cheers
Isaac