Rahwa Kibrom completed an exchange experience at the Comani Center in Mexico with the following goals: to gain practical experience in public health, learn about Mexican culture, and learn Spanish. As part of the experience, Rahwa developed an educational program for mothers of children at the Comani Center focused on social determinants of health and nutrition. Rahwa worked with ITSON students and exchange students on projects, conducted a needs assessment survey, and proposed offering training courses to mothers. Rahwa grew both personally and professionally from the international experience in public health and developed leadership, public speaking, and basic Spanish skills.

1. EXCHANGE EXPERIENCE
Rahwa Kibrom

2. COMANI CENTER


3. GOAL

 To gain practical experience
 Introduce and apply the social determinants of health
 Help minimize the impact of health risk within the
community
 To acquire and learn Mexican culture and
understand the people
 Learn a second language (Spanish)

4. Social Determinants of
Health


5. METHOD

 Recognize existing problem, identify possible reasons for
the observed problem and create a plan of action to
resolve it
 Evaluate which set of procedure, tools will produce the
desired result to help the family enrolled at COMANI
center
 To create an opportunity for ITSON student and
exchange students to work together on projects
 Allowing students to incorporate and exchange ideas in order
to maintain a project on the set
 To find a way to recruit volunteers
 To initiate a fundraising method

6. Project Focus

 To develop an educational program for the mothers of the
children enrolled at COMANI
 Educated mothers may have healthier children
 Knowledge about health care and nutrition, have healthier
behaviour and Hygiene
 Educated mothers are more likely to have better health,
which genetically leads to better health for their children
 Mothers education is directly associated with the
physical, mental and social well being of their family
 Increased school readiness, level of achievement and
adulthood
Education-healthier population-decreased mortality and morbidity rate

7. Work Completed

 Applied a need assessment survey to evaluate
parents need
 Introduced the 12 Social Determinants of Health and
how to it could be used to evaluate a community
 Designed educational program for parents
 Proposed to head departments of ITSON to offer
training courses to mothers free of charge
 Benefit of Volunteers
 Collaborated with ITSON student and exchange
students to work together on the projects

8. Achievement

 Grow immensely both personally and professionally
 International Experience in Public Health
 Career
 Develop a program
 Leadership
 Public Speaking
 Long Term Network
 Open minded
 Ability to read, speak and write basic Spanish

9. PICTURES


10. 

11. FUNDRAISER


12. Thank You

 Staffs:
 University of Manitoba
 ITSON
 Students
 Project Initiators and Organizers