Visiting Debre Berhan and Debre Berhan University

Written by Anthony Slaton

Our trip to Ethiopia was not only a wonderful experience, but it also opened my eyes to the importance of public health at a global level. Thought my interactions with families, teachers, professors, and students, I witnessed how public health has the potential to make a difference in these communities. 

Public Health Without Borders is working in Debre Berhan, a town located 130km north of Addis Ababa. In Debre Berhan, stores that lined the streets were made of corrugated steel or simply pieces of plastic propped up on sticks. Our very modern hotel created a drastic juxtaposition with the homes that surrounded it. In the streets, donkeys and cows walked freely. Without traffic signals, the animals, Bajajes, and trucks flowed in all directions. With only one hotel and a few restaurants in the town, I decided that tourism must not be common in Debre Berhan. However, the town seemed to be thriving. The market areas had plenty of vendors selling goods to dozens of patrons at any given time. The university campus is dotted with fully and partially constructed buildings. Debre Berhan and Ethiopia as a whole seem to be developing at an extremely fast pace.

Debre Berhan University, located in the center of Debre Berhan, is our project partner. In a very short period of time, this university has been able to create a system able to educate 18,000 students and also conduct research at an impressive level. This has been possible because of their optimistic and dedicated faculty. We hope to collaborate with these students and faculty in the future to develop a public health intervention to tackle malnutrition in the surrounding community. In the planning of this intervention we were lucky enough to meet with 2nd and 3rd year public health students while visiting the university.

Meeting these students and visiting the university was the highlight of my trip. The perspective and enthusiasm they had for their education has changed the way I view my own education. When speaking with 2nd year students, we asked them why they wanted to go into public health. They all proceeded to tell us how they wanted to solve the problems that were facing their communities. In particular, one student responded by saying “for the love of my country and people.” When this same question was asked in my introduction to public health course at Maryland, most students responded by explaining what they wanted to do in the future. Whether it was becoming a doctor, getting a Master's, or just simply getting a job in public health, nobody responded by saying they wanted to use this education to address challenges in their communities as the students in Ethiopia had.

Working with these students helped my realize how lucky I am to be in a situation where I can get an education that will not only open doors for me in the future, but also give me the skills to make difference in the global community and in my own community. My perspective has been changed from viewing my undergraduate education as a stepping-stone into higher education to an opportunity to use my education to make a difference.