Michelle Eustache Health Equity Grant

Congratulations to SCNM student, Danielle Lewis, who was awarded the first $1000 annual Michelle Eustache Health Equity Grant for her work in Bamenda, Cameroon. Read more about her project and the inspiration for the Grant below.

The Michelle Eustache Health Equity Grant was created to honor the memory of Michelle, a dedicated Bastyr student and NMSA board member who passed away unexpectedly on March 25, 2011 while on a medical service brigade in Nicaragua.  To keep her spirit, passion and work alive within our student body, this grant will support a current naturopathic student devoted to creating positive change in the field of social justice, multi-culturalism or health equity.  Those seeking this award should apply for support of a new initiative, an existing project, a service mission or any creative endeavor that upholds the values that Michelle embodied - care and compassion for the underserved and overlooked. 

The 2011 Michelle Eustache Health Equity Grant awarded to Danielle Lewis

Below is a description of the winning project in Cameroon in Danielle's words:

I am very excited to have the opportunity to travel to Bamenda, Cameroon from September 23rd to October 3rd. This will be the first of a minimum of 3 trips that my team plans to make yearly to Bamenda Cameroon. We are expanding on a project that is already in existence and has been running successfully since 2005 called “Angel of Mercy”. 

The mission of Angel of Mercy is as follows; “We create awareness about the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus in the community. We enhance the lives of those affected by and infected with the HIV/AIDS virus. We carry out sensitization programs on preventive mechanisms, stigmatization, and general health education in the community. We provide medical assistance, health education, moral, and psychological support to families affected by the HIV/AIDS virus. We provide educational assistance and scholarship opportunities to orphans and children living in poverty through our scholarship and educational program.”
 
My team so far consists of 2 medical students, a Naturopathic Physician, and 2 nurses.  In the first trip we plan to meet the children and the staff of Angel of Mercy that is located in Cameroon. We will visit hospitals and assess how Naturopathic Medicine can best be utilized. We will assist with building a well that will be located on the same property as the orphanage. I have connected with our local global health student organization, Naturopaths Without borders at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. They will be assisting us in getting donations of multivitamins and educational material. This trip will set the foundation for future trips.
 
I adopted this project through a non-profit organization called 200 Orphanages Worldwide. The mission of 200 orphanages is to “help partner projects raise funds for building projects to better serve orphans in their care.” This is the organization that is sponsoring the overall project.   Since I attend a Naturopathic Medical School I have been asked to help expand this project beyond building an orphanage and a well – the focus is on improving the overall healthcare initiative.

 

Relindis Mofor is the founder of Angel of Mercy. Since 2005 she has been working 2-3 jobs to self -fund her project. I am impressed at how successful she has been. She is from Cameroon and this is her way of giving back to her country. She had never heard of Naturopathic medicine until she met me, but everything she does is very Naturopathic. She tries to ensure that all of her children are taken care of physically, mentally, and spiritually. One thing that attracted me to this project is that it has already been successful for years just with her efforts. I like the idea of assisting with a project that is already in existence with a sustainable model. Due to us adopting this project we are able to expand it significantly.
1.     We will be able to provide better quality supplements, vitamins, and other healthcare materials. As mentioned before we are working with Naturopaths Without Borders (NWB). This organization has several boxes of supplements ready for us to take on our trip. NWB will be supporting us every step of the way in the planning of the trip.
2.     We will be providing a garden onsite at the orphanage. This will bring an opportunity of fun, education, and fresh food for the orphans.
3.     We will be providing educational materials for the staff and patients. Relindis is a proponent of education. She feels that it is the lack of awareness and education that is the root of most of the healthcare issues that she witnesses in Cameroon. She feels that the education that we get as naturopathic students will be invaluable for her staff and patients. 
4.     We will be able to lend a hand in the actual building projects. Naturopathic Medicine involves making sure the entire person is taken care of. The truth is that these children need a room over their heads, they need to feel safe, and they need access to clean water. Volunteers that attend these trips will assist in building a well this year and building the orphanage next year.

Project Timeline

 

Grant Eligibility:

 
All projects/initiatives/activities with a focus on underserved populations, social justice, multiculturalism or health equity will be considered. All applications will do one of the following:
  1. Establish a new project that addresses specific documented health disparities in a chosen community, local or international
  2. Provide for the continuity of an already existing service program or project.
  3. Generate health education resources that will have a sustainable impact on a chosen community or region.
  4. Allow for the applicant to participate in a preexisting program that addresses the medical needs of underserved populations
  5. Further the education of the applicant in issues of health disparities, social justice or service to underserved populations.

 

Selection Criteria:

The selection team will consider the following when choosing the award recipient
  • Enrollment status – must be a current student in a CNME accredited Naturopathic program
  • Presentation of an organized and well-thought out proposal
  • Importance of the need or opportunity that the project addresses
  • Credibility of other organizations involved in the project
  • Attainability of applicant’s goals
  • Potential societal impact of project/event
  • Sustainability of project/event
  • Alignment of project with ideals of health equity, social justice and/or multiculturalism

This $1000 grant is awarded annually at the NMSA Student Conference.