Badass ladies making waves.

(Ed. Note: I am sure the first title word is misspelled and was intended to be the Swahili word"Badai." But then what would I know? kpo)

The flights to Dar es Salaam went off largely without incident, and we were up and at ‘em for a trip to the USAID by 9 am. Mary Renquist joined our group at the embassy after spending the holidays here with her daughter Jennifer and her family. Jennifer has been here for a little over a year working in the Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance branch of USAID. Together with healthcare officer Anna Bodipo-Mbuyamba, Jennifer walked us through how USAID operates in Tanzania. Prior to the visit, I had a pretty vague idea of what USAID does, but it was incredibly interesting to learn how they balance the disparate agendas of so many different groups including the US, Tanzanian (central and local), and other governments and many implementing partners. One thing I found especially interesting was the focus on data collection and metric tracking in programs. Each initiative has key quality indicators that are used to determine a program’s success. Seems like pretty rudimentary stuff, but it’s so incredibly important to be able to come to a discussion with these diverse stakeholders with solid evidence to support your argument.

After a delicious lunch at Slipway and some mandatory gelato, we were able to drop in on Randy’s good friend Trish, an oncologist from Ireland who has done amazing work with pediatric cancer across Tanzania. Trish is nothing short of incredible. Her passion and upbeat attitude are palpable, and I’m pretty sure the woman never sleeps – from managing upwards of 90 inpatients and hostel stepdown guests and their families, to outreach clinics, research, and fundraising, the woman is a force for the children of Tanzania.

Once we found our bus, we made our way back to Wista's Chalet for dinner with Grey Saga and his wife Dr. Gloria Saga. Gloria is a physician who previously ran an HIV/AIDS program in Dar, but it taking time off to study HIV/AIDS program management and potentially an additional MPH. Speaking with her was the cherry on top of a day filled with inspiring female leaders. Our female-heavy first group has been inspired by these women making global health and diplomacy work into their lives in meaningful ways, and I, for one, am empowered to follow their example. 

Anne Jensen | MHA/MBA Dual-Degree Candidate, Class of 2018

Carlson School of Management | University of Minnesota