Event Summary: Nikumbuke–Health by Motorbike, An Integral Model of Health, Gender and Sustainable Development

On Wednesday, May 14, 2014, WGH sponsored a lecture given by Dr. Araceli Alonso, an Associate Faculty at the University of Wisconsin – Madison in the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies and the School of Medicine and Public Health.  The lecture was followed by a discussion, and lunch was provided.  Nine people attended, in addition to Dr. Sabra Katz-Wise, who facilitated the event.  Dr. Alonso presented information on Nikimbuke-Health by Motorbike (N-HbM), an NGO that she founded and directs, which provides a comprehensive model of health and well-being for women and girls in rural Kenya.  Her lecture included an overview of the variety of programs within N-HbM (e.g., a “train the trainers” program to train local health promoters, a mobile medical clinic, a tailoring school for girls, and others) and a discussion of some of the challenges inherent to this type of work.  Attendees asked questions regarding how Dr. Alonso balances her work in Kenya with her academic work as a professor, what changes she has seen in men in Kenyan communities through her work with this program, how she navigates her role as an outsider, and how she has dealt with language barriers.