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For its recent mission trip to rural Kenya, the student-run Vito Moja Health Scouts program welcomed several new medical student volunteers, which allowed the program to expand its curriculum and consider its ability to serve a growing demand for health education.
The June 2023 trip included eight medical students from the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University (CCLCM) and the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (CWRU SOM). Over the five-day trip, the medical students helped to educate Kenyan students on topics such as blood pressure, blood sugar, hygiene and mental health.
The varied backgrounds and experiences of the medical students who participated allowed the Vito Moja Health Scouts to make some unique changes to the curriculum such as incorporating new, more complex lessons on infectious disease and integrating Stop the Bleed Training into the program.
Co-founded by Eran Maina (’27) and Scott Perkins (’26) in 2019, the Vito Moja Health Scouts aim to regularly travel to Embu, Kenya, to promote health and wellness education.
Read “Student-founded Group Brings Healthcare to Rural Kenya.”
Small-group teaching
Translating their medical school curriculum into a format suitable for the Kenyan students was a rewarding endeavor for newer Health Scout instructors Carolyn Daniels (CWRU SOM ‘26), Alison Heilbronner (’27) and Daniela Schmulevich (’27). Equipped with a solid foundation from the CCLCM and CWRU SOM curricula, which emphasize the ability to transition from classroom learning to small-group teaching, they felt well-prepared to tailor the lessons for a younger audience.
“Our curriculum at CCLCM involves not only learning in a classroom setting, but also becoming skilled at translating that information into lessons that we teach our peers in a small group setting. This trip was a unique opportunity to take it a step further — to communicate scientific information in a way that’s comprehensible not only to our peers in medical school, but also to this group of nine- to fourteen-year-old kids,” says Daniela.
Increased demand
Currently, the biggest challenge the Health Scouts are facing is the increased demand for its program to be integrated into schools in central Kenya. At least seven schools in and around the central hub of Embu have expressed interest in incorporating the program into their institutions. Furthermore, the Health Scouts have been collaborating with the Kenyan Ministry of Education to formalize its program as an official offering in schools.
The escalating demand for the program underscores the pressing need for extra support, in terms of both additional medical volunteers and funding. These additional human and financial resources are essential to propel these initiatives forward and meet the burgeoning demand effectively.
Global health program
The strategy to ensure the program’s sustainability and continued expansion involves establishing a framework for maintaining engagement. The Health Scouts are working toward making the program an ongoing opportunity for students at CCLCM/CWRU SOM long after the original leaders have graduated and moved on to their residencies and roles as physicians.
The goal is for the Vito Moja Health Scouts program to become an official program that students will be able to apply for annually and receive a scholarship that will allow them to travel to Kenya to engage in this exceptional global health opportunity.
In the meantime, the Health Scouts eagerly anticipate their next trip in December 2023. Any interested CCLCM/CWRU SOM medical students should contact Eran Maina or Scott Perkins.
