Dartmouth's Chapter of GlobeMed Hosts Its 6th Annual Benefit Dinner

Lauren Mitchell '18 shares her passion for exploring health inquity by sharing her experience organizing GlobeMed’s 6th Annual Benefit Dinner.

At times, Dartmouth's Chapter of GlobeMed, an organization dedicated to addressing global health disparities, is limited in the percentage of the student body that we are able to reach, only attracting students with a long-standing interest in public and global health. Our goal at the benefit dinner was simple: to show the Dartmouth community that a sustainable partnership with a grassroots health organization can be mutually beneficial and an effective model for development. So much of humanitarian aid that we see today does not reflect this symbiotic relationship often because it relies on short bursts of support without follow-up. We have known the women that work at Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT) for years and are able to learn so much more about their personal struggles and organization precisely because of the longevity and continued support of our partnership. Without being in the GlobeMed at Dartmouth organization, it is easy to assume that we are just another global health club, but what makes us unique is our partnership.

I also learned quite a bit about how to plan events on campus. The Rocky Mini-Grant definitely helped us plan the event in a way that seemed professional and attractive to students across campus by providing money for dinner and a performance by Raaz. We were better able to deliver our message to campus through having this public event.

Our guest speaker, Mrika Aliu, explained a lot about how to run an NGO in her native country, Kosovo. She talked about their top programs, including c-section support and prenatal care, which were very interesting since our partner, KWAT, also has similar programs. Mrika also talked about how her organization partners with Dartmouth, and so we could see another example of a successful long-term partnership just like ours with KWAT. She spoke about how women in a post-conflict country need a lot of assistance and are at higher risk for medical issues. Her organization sets up groups for women to attend and learn about reproductive health and is particularly effective because they have a tangible connection to the very recent conflicts in the country. There have been a high number of pre-mature births that may be connected to the war. She also spoke about how hard it is to be a women-run organization for women’s health in an extremely patriarchal society. She has had to push through a lot in order to get her government to pay attention to the work that her organization is doing.

This was a very valuable experience in that it brought many people together to think about how local organizations have the knowledge and capacity to drive change in their respective regions. It also showed students how an organization in Kosovo has similar programs to an organization in Burma/Thailand. It is nice for Dartmouth campus to think at a more global scale. 

-Submitted by Lauren Mitchell '18, Rockefeller Center Mini Grant Recipient 

The Rockefeller Center's Mini-Grants program funds registration fees for students attending conferences, as well as the costs of bringing guest speakers to Dartmouth. The views and opinions expressed here are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Rockefeller Center or constitute an endorsement by the Center.