Giving thanks for our Public Health interns

This spring 2021, Abundant Life ministries has been blessed to host 2 student interns, Bennetta Clarke and Ismael Rodriguez, completing their Masters degree in Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Our interns put the knowledge and skills they’ve cultivated in their studies to use, conducting a series of phone conversations (because the ongoing pandemic) with African, Latin American, African-American, and mixed-race families connected to our food security and health ministry to assess the needs and concerns of our community. (see their preliminary findings in the English & Spanish infographics below)

What we have learned during this past year of covid19 pandemic is that our neighbors and community connected to Abundant Life have been hard-hit by job and income loss, covid19 severe illness and death, and struggles with technology access that affect schooling, health care, and social isolation. But our community members have also resisted and found ways to work below the radar to build creative networks for mutual care and support.

Bennetta Clarke, UNC Greensboro Masters in Public Health intern at Abundant Life shared critical information on Covid19 with families receiving food and supplies each week, and she started conversations about the vaccine as they became more available in March and April.

Thanks to our interns who analyzed and began presenting the results of their conversations with community members, we have before us themes of common concern that our nurse and partners can help us begin to look at and address together in the coming months. Stay tuned this summer for chances to engage with us on-site as well as on-line to work toward a more equitable and healthy community for all in our place.