Before the pandemic, Ahaiwe was also planning a "huge walk for health," as she describes it, in which local people and health care providers walked from the hospital to the local government center to demand more resources for rural health care.

After it became clear that COVID-19 would make it impossible to fly to Nigeria, Ahaiwe established community liaisonsincluding friends and relativeswho could start to educate local people about the importance of taking advantage of local clinics.

"There is a heavy dependency on traditional medicine," Ahaiwe said, "which can work, but people should understand they have a wide range of options for medical care."

Her community partners have been putting up posters Ahaiwe has designed and printed that contain medical advice, such as the importance of handwashing.

The hospital also recently organized a COVID-19 awareness walk to educate community members about the seriousness of the virus. Ahaiwe donated part of her grant to buy face masks and pocket sanitizers to hand out to townspeople.

Working from afar this summer has been successful. But Ahaiwe is a bit worried about how well the community will receive her when she eventually does return to Nigeria. Though her family is from the village, they left the area when she was a child. "Some people might say, 'Who is this young girl telling us how to run our health?'"

To foster community buy-in to her health-outreach projects, Ahaiwe has contacted community leaders, including the local king."Hesaid it was good for the community that young people are coming back to invest in the community and that he would offer whatever support I need,"Ahaiwe said.

Her public health project is the kind of work Ahaiwe wants to dedicate her lifework to. At Bowdoin, she is majoring in biochemistry and minoring in Francophone studies. After college, she plans to earn a master's degree in public health to work in the area of preventative health care, "especially in places with disparities," she said. She would love to be based in Nigeria or somewhere else in Africa, she added.

"This is my focus," she said. "I am passionate about it."

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Ruby Ahaiwe '21 Focuses Her Public Health Interest on Her Community - Bowdoin News