Ochieng develops waterborne illness screening program in Tanzania

Dorothy Ochieng, MPH candidate ’16, went to Tanzania to develop a screening program for waterborne illnesses among rural residents. She got the training and experience she was looking for as part of her practicum—and a lot more. “It made me happy,” she said of her work last summer. “I’m still happy.”

Ochieng traveled to Shirati, Tanzania, to work with Maji Safi Group, an NGO that focuses on water-sanitation education. A trained nurse, Ochieng helped set up the screenings for illnesses like malaria, intestinal worms and bilharzia. Doctors were on hand to prescribe medication, which was provided by nurses. All were educated on disease prevention and water treatment as part of the free program.

In all 3,068 people, mostly children, were tested over a four-week period. Over the next year, Ochieng will help evaluate the program. “The goal is to be able to do the program every year,” she says.

Ochieng, a native of Kenya, came to the Brown School for the Global Health specialization offered as part of the MPH program. “I learned a ton,” she says of her practicum. “Everything has worked out like I was meant to be here.”