Marshall University students have the opportunity to travel to Tanzania and work with the native people this summer as part of the KIIS program.

Students will be interviewing local people and providing community health training to the native workers.

Monika Sawhney, public health program director, will teach a number of courses closely related to her health courses at Marshall.

Courses available to students during this program include: Physical Anthropology of East Africa, Field Biology: Tanzanian Natural History, Conservation, and Ecotourism, International Health: Comparative Health Systems, and Critical Issues: Maternal and Child Health for three credit hours each.

Global Health Service, Learning Practicum will also be offered for three to six credit hours. The courses are taught in English.

Sawhney said she likes to teach as much out of the classroom as possible.

“Students receive a lot of out of class experience and have very applied assignments,” Sawhney said.

Students train Tanzanians on subjects such as the importance of having a medical expert in the presence of the birth of a baby.

“It will give [students] the opportunity to overcome local barriers and see how maternal and child healthcare differ from the U.S. and developing countries,” Sawhney said.

This is Sawhney’s third year with the KIIS program and her second year in Tanzania.

“Students in the U.S. have phones and computers, taking students to other countries … lets them relate to other things in the world,” Sawhney said. “When students are exposed to other countries, it gives them experience, which is very important in public health.”

Ryan Warner, coordinator of study abroad said the Tanzania trip is one of the most relatable trips available to students studying in the health fields.

The trip is from June 8 to July 12.

The cost of the trip is $4,235 plus airfare and a $250 application fee.

The program fee includes up to six credit hours, transfers to and from Dar Es Salaam airport, accommodations, two meals per day, city transportation in Dar Es Salaam, group excursions to Zanzibar and Arusha, comprehensive medical insurance and security evacuation protection.

Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.

The application fee will be refunded if the student is not accepted into the program.

A complete application consists of an online application, short essay, application fee, faculty recommendation form, unofficial transcript for undergraduates, official transcript for graduates and a copy of a passport photo page or a copy of a new passport application.

Applications are due Feb. 15.

Caitlin Fowlkes can be contacted at [email protected].