Wendy van Giezen, a 2017-2018 Critical Language Scholar alumna, is a registered nurse. She currently works in New York City, a place which has been hit hard by the coronavirus. Due to high demand, COVID-19 test kits can be hard to come by.

Wendy has been working with Vault Health to instruct and supervise patients taking the at-home coronavirus test, lending her medical expertise to help make testing more accessible.

Thanks for your work to help flatten the curve, Wendy!

It’s not every day that the U.S. Secretary of State tweets about you. But it happened to Dr. Laud Basing, who recently led his team of medical scientists to develop a Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) for COVID 19 testing, in collaboration with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

Dr. Basing, a 2016 Mandela Washington Fellow for Young African Leaders (MWF), is a frontline medical worker who wanted to change the narrative on Africa as a scientific innovator and be one of the continent’s first indigenous companies to find solutions to its disease problems. He's accomplished both goals!

In addition to developing a rapid COVID-19 diagnostic test that is being used across Africa, Basing won first prize in Africa.com’s Brilliant African Innovations Against COVID-19 Competition for his test kit, which includes "a comprehensive app that incorporates symptom assessment, data capture of test results, tracking of patient location using GPS signals, and dissemination of all of this information to public health authorities."

Congrats, Dr. Basing!

Exchange alumni, share your stories by using #ExchangeAlumni, like Dr. Basing. You never know who will retweet your post!

Exchange alumni Holly Wheeler (Fulbright-Nehru ETA to India, 2016-2017) and Pradeep Kumar (Community College Initiative Program, 2011-2012) are collaborating to provide English education to students in Sanjay Colony, a slum in New Delhi. And they need your help to continue!

Wheeler was an English teacher at Shyama Prasad Vidyalaya; she is currently an Education Abroad Advisor at Northern Arizona University and Co-President of the Fulbright Association Arizona Chapter.

Kumar studied tourism and hospitality at Whatcom Community College through the Community College Initiative (CCI) Program, a U.S. Exchanges program, and started his own business, Delhi by Locals, after returning to India. He also started an NGO, Learning by Locals, with fellow CCI Program alumni, Lalit Saini (India, Houston Community College, TV and Film Production, 2018- 2019) and Alka Sharma (India, Northern Virginia Community College, Computer-Aided Design and Drafting, 2018-2019) to give back to the local community. Funded by part of Delhi by Local’s profits, Learning by Locals runs English and computer classes several times per week for youth in Sanjay Colony, a slum in Delhi. The NGO also hosts workshops on social issues, organizes field trips, and helps young people connect to job and internship networks.

lbl_team.jpg

In response to COVID-19, Learning by Locals (LBL) transitioned to all online courses at the start of lockdown in March. After engaging more with the community, an urgent need emerged to expand course offerings for free to address mental health and learning motivation for the colony, and now LBL has started teaching over 100 new students in 10 new classes. These classes are taught by LBL and friends around the world, including Wheeler and playwright Harley Adams (Fulbright Student Researcher to India, 2019-2020). Guests are invited, including Learning by Locals friends in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Turkey, as well as Fulbright Association Arizona Chapter Board Member, Larissa Goulart da Silva (Brazil, FLTA to University of Nebraska, 2017-2018).

Expanded class topics include multiple levels of English, computer skills (basic skills, Google tools), art, dance, filmmaking, playwriting, theatre, and emotional/mental wellbeing—all taught online via video conference.

Conversation group leaders are needed for the Advanced English Discussion class taught by Wheeler and Kumar. Fulbrighters and exchange alumni from all U.S. government exchange programs are welcome to join, for once or multiple times. The course discussions center around international topics, wellness and crisis response, and global citizenship. The class meets from 6:00-7:00 p.m. India time on Tuesdays and Thursdays, now through the month of June 2020.

If you are interested in connecting with India’s next young leaders and supporting the work of U.S. Exchange alumni, please contact Holly at wheelerholly@icloud.com as soon as possible to set the date and prep for the informal conversation class.
 

This story was written by Holly Wheeler and edited by Asha Beh at ECA at State. Holly's original version appears on the Fulbright Association website. 

Adji Zamtato is transforming his community in Chad one grain of rice at a time. Zamtato noticed that his town was importing large quantities of rice from Asia instead of consuming the locally produced variety, and he felt that there was room for improvement. Many locals didn’t want to use the Chadian rice due to issues with debris, stickiness, and a higher sugar content; where others saw a lesser product, Zamtato saw an opportunity. 

“Thanks to the courses that I received at Oklahoma State University, I launched the first local processed and packed rice under the brand ‘ADJI RIZ.’ I use the parboiling method to process the paddy rice before packaging it. I have to admit that it's just the first step of a long journey, but it already started and it's the more important thing,” he told us. 

Zamtato traveled to the U.S. as a recipient of the 2019 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. While on program, he studied at Oklahoma State University.

Upon his return to Chad, Zamtato was able to apply his knowledge of food processing to revolutionize the local industry. By implementing a new process for processing the rice before it reaches consumers, he was able remove any lingering sediment, improve the texture, and significantly lower the glycemic index, creating a much more desirable product. 

Though he has faced challenges in getting consumers to accept a new processed and packaged food, Zamtato says his rice production has been highly successful in local markets. His next step? In addition to being able to offer various package volumes, he hopes to be able to expand his markets internationally. In doing so, he hopes to continue to grow job opportunities locally while also improving the community’s self-sufficiency for food. 

Zamtato believes that determination and clear goals are far more important than resources along in creating a successful business. He hopes to show local youth that regardless of their situation, with lots of willpower, they can achieve their goals and be successful. 

“We have a lot of work to do in terms of food processing and packaging in Chad, and I hope that my work will inspire more youth in my community. I wish also that, despite the outbreak of COVID-19, other young Chadians will benefit from this prestigious program in the future,” he said. 

You can learn more about the Mandela Washington Fellowship on exchanges.state.gov.

Alveno Soares, a 2016 Mandela Washington Fellow and Coordinator of the Embassy-sponsored American Space Djêu d'Merka, has created a local fundraising initiative initiative to support Cabo Verde's #LavaBôMon (Wash Your Hands) campaign. Soares knows that good hygiene is one of the most effective methods to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In order to raise awareness and spread knowledge throughout his community, Soares formed partnerships with several national and international organizations to share preventative health practices and to crowdfund to get needed supplies. His initiative has managed to help more than 300 at-risk families  on the  islands of Santo Antão and São Vicente with food and items, such as soap. 

Soares’s crowdfunding effort is co-sponsored with several international partners from the tourism industry, such as Dada's Animations (tourism agency in São Vicente), O Ritmo (tourism agency in Switzerland), Rabasa (musical group from the Netherlands), and Fundação Cabo Verde (based in Switzerland).  

Soares is also volunteering with health centers in São Vicente to inform the local population about hygiene measures that help prevent COVID-19. To see and read more about Alvano Soares and his amazing work, check out the post on U.S. Embassy Praia, Cabo Verde’s  Facebook page. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there are a wide variety of voices speaking out about how the virus has impacted them and sharing best practices on how to curb the spread of the virus. As founder of the Alternative Youth Radio, Liberia’s first radio station dedicated to youth, James Papy Kwabo, Jr. , a 2019 alumnus of the Washington Mandela Fellowship for Young African Leaders, felt it was his responsibility to use his platform to educate young adults about the dangers of and the prevention of COVID-19 in order to counter misinformation. 

On his show, James features segments from Washington Mandela Fellows who explain how coronavirus is affecting their communities, as well as information from Liberian health authorities. His aim is to give listeners a comprehensive understanding of this pandemic, covering everything from prevention to the science of how it spreads. Learn more about his radio program on the YALI Network blog.  

Theo Goetemann, a 2017 alumnus of the Critical Language Scholarship program and the founder of Basil Labs, a consumer intelligence startup in Washington, D.C., is doing his part to flatten the curve on COVID-19. Basil Labs recently launched a web tool called the COVID-19 Testing Locator, which lets users find the nearest testing locations for the virus. The Testing Locator includes filters that indicate if sites require a doctor’s order, or if they are drive-through accessible. Basil Labs’ work on the testing project was highlighted by tech-news site BGR.

Way to go, Theo!

Elvis Rivera, a 2018 Fulbright Program alumnus,is not only a leader in his local community of Cucuyagua, Copan, but also in all of Honduras! As the coronavirus pandemic has spread throughout his city and nation, Rivera realized that he had the ability to make a positive impact -- and that’s exactly what he is doing. 

During his Fulbright exchange program at Syracuse University in Georgia, Rivera had the opportunity to visit the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and participate in conferences with leaders in the field of epidemiology such as Dr. William Goege, who helped eradicate smallpox. Rivera was inspired by listening to Dr. Foege  and after reading Dr. Foege’s book, “House on Fire: The Fight to Eradicate Smallpox Rivera knew that one day he wanted to be able to contribute in a similar way. 

"Feeling part of a project as big as Fulbright and Dr. Foege's words, ‘Home is not where you come from, home is where you are needed.’  has always motivated me to do my best. His willingness to risk his life are lessons in humility, his project is considered the most successful example of eradicating an epidemic as painful as smallpox. Thinking about it inspires me to continue to focus on what's truly transcendental, and as a science teacher and with the support of technology I am quite satisfied to contribute even with very small actions,” Rivera said. 

During his Fulbright exchange experience, Rivera was able to network with various individuals and organizations in the healthcare industry within the United States. He is now using these international connections to request donations and equipment for the public high school where he works as a science teacher. This equipment is now being used as a part of the experiment he is conducting to create face masks and protective gear via 3D printing. The masks he is printing abide by NIH DtM v3.1 3D printed face masks specifications. 

His project goes beyond helping provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers in Honduras. The transparent/plastic components of the face masks are made from recycled PET plastic soda bottles, which Rivera says have proven to be more effective. His sister helps with the collection, cleaning and removing labels and glue from the bottles, cutting bottles according to visor dimensions and polishing for final use. 

Rivera’s efforts to recycle these bottles into PPE has helped educate his community about how to properly dispose of and recycle bottles. After ongoing outreach efforts to get the word out to his community, people are now dropping off their used bottles at Rivera’s house to contribute towards creating new PPE.

Humphrey Fellow Thu Vo is completing her Professional Affiliation at the Yolo County Office of Emergency Services in Davis, California, where she is assisting with the local government’s response to COVID-19. During this crisis she has worked as a liaison between different departments in the county government to compile information, support the communications team on daily press briefings, and help set up a community testing site.  Ms. Vo pursued this opportunity because as an emergency management professional in Vietnam, she wants to learn more about emergency management in the U.S. She plans to implement the lessons acquired from this affiliation – the organization of teams, various trainings and how to coordinate better with other departments – to her job in Vietnam. Ms. Vo is a Humphrey Fellow from University of California, Davis.

 

**Note: This story was originally published by the Humphrey Fellowship Program.

Today’s global pandemic severely affects public health, economies and our daily lives. Yet even in these trying times, the resilience and courage of the Philippine people continue to inspire me. From the terrorist attack on Marawi, through devastating typhoons, to the Taal volcanic eruption, I have seen in every moment of challenge reflections of the strength of our partnership. I salute the brave frontline workers risking their lives and extend my deepest sympathies to those who have fallen victim to or lost a loved one to COVID-19.

Last week, Presidents Duterte and Trump reaffirmed their shared commitment to the US-Philippines relationship and to prevailing over this pandemic. The United States has thus far provided more than P470 million to support the Philippine’s COVID-19 response, in addition to 1,300 cots donated to the Office of Civil Defense and Philippine General Hospital. US assistance is strengthening the capacity to detect, treat and defeat the virus. This complements nearly P30 billion in assistance we have provided over the past 20 years to improve health care in the Philippines.

This assistance is but one part of American support for our friends in the Philippines. American companies in the Philippines are doing their share in the fight against COVID. To cite a few examples, Ford is lending vehicles for medical use; UPS and FedEx are delivering critical supplies; Procter & Gamble and 3M are producing PPE; and Coca-Cola and Pepsi are supplying beverages for frontline workers. US companies CapitalOne, Marriot, Dow, Cargill, AIG, Google, Airbnb and Facebook are also providing assistance.

The beating heart of our friendship is the robust ties between individuals and families. These bonds are continuously strengthened and refreshed by a wide range of academic exchange programs bringing together scholars, policy-makers, entrepreneurs and innovators—in short, our future leaders. Each year, the US Embassy sends more than 300 Filipinos to the United States on programs from economics to leadership to health. Upon return, these exchange alumni make extraordinary contributions to the Philippines. I would like to applaud some of those working to stop COVID-19.

Our flagship exchange program is Fulbright, and the Philippines hosts the oldest continually-running Fulbright Commission in the world. Drs. Beverly Lorraine Ho and Ronald Law are former Fulbright scholars supporting COVID-19 response efforts at the Department of Health. After studying Health Policy and Management at Harvard University, Dr. Ho now serves as special assistant to the secretary for Universal Health Care. Dr. Law is chief of the DOH’s Emergency Management Bureau Preparedness Division, where the research he conducted on enhancing health security at the University of Washington is more relevant than ever.

Dozens of Filipinos have pursued scientific degrees and conducted research under Fulbright and Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow scholarships. Dr. Vikki de los Reyes, medical specialist at the DOH’s Epidemiology Bureau; Dr. Mario Jiz, head of the Immunology Department at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine; and Dr. Maria Lourdes Otayza, medical center chief at Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital, are applying their exchange program experiences to combat COVID-19.

Perhaps what’s most inspiring to me are the exceptional initiatives of dynamic young Philippine alumni of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), who are harnessing the skills and experience gained from their exchange programs to assist communities across the country. YSEALI Academic Fellow and Accessiwheels founder Miggy Bautista mobilized volunteers to provide critical transportation to medical facilities for chronically ill patients in Metro Manila. YSEALI alumna Cherrie Atilano launched the Move Food Initiative, which has helped more than 3,000 farmers in Luzon and Mindanao deliver produce to quarantined consumers. In Mindanao, US Exchange Alumni Associations partnered with Coca-Cola Philippines and Unilab Foundation to supply water to frontline workers and military personnel. YSEALI Alumni also teamed up with band Ben&Ben to hold an online concert raising P4.2 million for COVID-19 response.

To succeed against this pandemic, we all have a role to play: government, business, individuals. The Philippines can count on continued support from the US government, US businesses, and our incredible exchange alumni. For over a century, our two nations have met and overcome challenges together. I am confident that together, we will overcome this challenge as well.


*Note: This article was originally published in the Philippine Star.

The following was written by Kim Sung. Sung Kim is a South Korean-born American diplomat and the current United States Ambassador to the Philippines as well as the former United States Special Representative for North Korea Policy.

Pages

Subscribe to International Exchange Alumni RSS