Out of
Africa
In the age of the Internet and iPhones, the world around us is just a login or text message away, quickly connecting people by common threads and mutual interests. For several Gannon faculty and students, sharing a connection with the continent of Africa is just the beginning; they also share a spirit of compassion that truly reflects the University’s mission. Caring can take many forms, from educational initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life to medical technologies designed to prevent the spread of disease. Troy A. Skwor, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, spent six weeks last summer volunteering with the Keiskamma Trust, a community organization striving to meet the challenges of widespread poverty and HIV/AIDS in rural South Africa. “It’s a miraculous place, seeing people give their whole selves—some moving from around the world to volunteer and work there—to try and make a difference. If that doesn’t get you motivated, I don’t know what does,” Skwor said. The South African Education Ministry reported in 2010 that the national school pass rate had dropped for a sixth consecutive year, declining to 60.6 percent. One way Skwor helped was by assessing the Trust’s educational programs and teaching and tutoring students in science and math.
“It was so important to show them the purpose behind education. In such a rural area where unemployment is around 90 percent, it’s hard for them to understand what having an education means or what it can do for their lives, and I wanted to give them an incentive and show them what careers are Sociology professor Dorothy J.N. Kalanzi, available,” Skwor explained. Ph.D. (third from left), participates With a doctoral degree in Okwanjula, a traditional African in medical microbiology introduction ceremony. and immunology and a dissertation centered on tuberculosis, Skwor was also aptly suited to help with the diverse activities associated with the village clinic, a facility funded by sales of patients’ artwork. The clinic treats 112 rural villages—about 200,000 people—in the southeastern corner of the Pedii district in South Africa. “A lot of them—even the nurses—contract TB multiple times throughout their lives. It is the number one killer of HIV patients in the area and worldwide, and they have a lot of questions. I sat in on a tuberculosis social worker meeting and helped dispel some of the myths about the disease and discussed preventive methods,” he said. Dorothy J.N. Kalanzi, Ph.D., assistant professor of sociology, recognized the need for further instruction and aid in Africa—not only as an educator, but also as a Uganda native. She conducted 14
gannon magazine
winter 2010
two studies to track antiretroviral use among HIV patients in subSaharan Africa, studying who was taking the medication as prescribed, reasons some were not able to adhere to the regimen and how their lives were changed. “I did my research initially in 2007 for my dissertation; I had a questionnaire, and I interviewed them one-on-one. Then I returned Dr. Skwor with South African last summer to follow up,” Kalanzi students. said. “It really touched me. Most of the people who were on these drugs were very poor and would tell me, ‘The doctor says I have to take this medication with food, but I have no money to buy food.’ There were cultural, economic and biological factors hindering them from taking the medication, but when they talked about their lives, they had really improved.” In addition to statistical research, the area needs greater access to modern technology. Johnson Olanrewaju, Ph.D., assistant professor of environmental science and engineering and Sreela Sasi, Ph.D., associate professor of computer and information science, worked in collaboration with Christian Hospitals Overseas Secure Equipment Needs (CHOSEN) to design a new steam sterilizer that can help sterilize surgical and medical equipment without the use of electricity as a heating source. Electricity is often not available or is unreliable in many third-world countries, and the pair volunteered their time to help engineer the device, which uses biomass heat sources like firewood. “This project was close to our hearts because as Nigerian and Indian natives, we’re familiar with this need,” Olanrewaju said. “I witnessed the rationing of electricity, and have lived that life. Those experiences can never leave you. Knowledge is something I feel passionate about, and when you have passion for something, there is no mountain that you cannot conquer.” Even graduate student Mobolaji Omotosho has found a way to better his homeland by sharing his education and professional experience. Currently in his second year as a doctor of physical therapy student at Gannon, he hopes to return to Nigeria to start his own physical therapy practice. “One of the things I always preach to my students is not to compartmentalize; be multidisciplinary,” Olanrewaju said. “Everything is related to everything else, and we have far more similarities than we do differences. If you look at the big picture, we’re all linked somehow.”