This is Global Health
Photo credit: Misty Garcia
**Note, we changed our name in 2021 to be more reflective of our mission. Institute for Village Studies started in partnership with Western Washington University in 1999, and we look forward to carrying on this work as InPlace - Ecocultural Learning Institute.
Our students recently returned from our Global Health in Rwanda program, which serves as a good reminder that as we confront the challenges of COVID-19, we must remember that we are in this together. We ask all of you to look out for the most vulnerable in society and remember that your actions have global consequences. Help contain the spread of COVID-19 by following the CDC guidelines and take care of one another.
And it goes without saying, the health and safety of our students and the communities we have the privilege to work with is our number one priority. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. As we face an uncertain world, it’s important to remember the systems that tie us together. That is what we will be thinking about as we hunker down in our houses in the coming weeks - how can we influence these systems as we heal together after this global disaster passes?
We think a poem from the very talented IVS Alum, Maggie Christie, illustrates the struggles ahead perfectly.
Photo credit: Misty Garcia
Poem Written by: Maggie Christie, IVS Alum
This is global health
An oxymoron of a system
Attempting to combat the inequities in the world
By utilizing the inequities in the world
This is global health
Stepping back and stepping up
For me? It's mostly stepping back
But always showing up
This is global health
Protecting the precious world-
A gift that belongs to all of us but no one, all at once
Bewildering at just how entangled this place is
This is global health
The humility of never seeing the whole picture
But trying damn hard anyways
Global health is never finished
It's never even close
Global health is piecing together
Conservation, community, hand-washing
Race, privilege, prenatal care
Women's education, city planning, policy
Policing, therapy, identity
Medicine (in ways we understand it), medicine (in ways we don't understand it)
Empowerment, equity, compassion
Sanitation, relationships, reconciliation
Global health is a puzzle
An abstract work of art
Cut up into infinite pieces
But we must piece them together
We must try
Global health is as big as advocation against institutionalized racism
And as small as a smile to the Starbucks barista
Global health goes beyond the medical field
It's overjoyed hellos
And sorrowful goodbyes
It's love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and thankfulness and gentleness and awareness and brilliance and motivation and humility and integrity and action and inaction
This is global health.
Photo Credit: Rachel Anderson
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Our decision-making processes throughout the pandemic have been grounded in our values. We have been intentional in our approach to stay true to our mission. This year, we have continued to implement strategies to connect our network through peer-peer learning, hone our model for change and community-driven development, and tackle challenging issues like climate change.