Welcome to the blog. I am Nik Karr, a current student at Boston University's School of Public Health (BUSPH). I am working towards my Masters of Public Health (MPH) with a focus on International Health. I just recently finished my coursework and as of September 10, 2010, I will be departing for Peace Corps staging in Los Angeles before leaving for service in Vanuatu.
Vanu-, what!? Yes, Vanuatu. A Republic of islands in the South Pacific, next to the Coral Sea. Neighboring countries/continents include Australia, Papua new Guinea, Fiji, and New Zealand. I will be working as a Community Health Extensionist, while I finish my MPH requirements along the way.
As of now, the Peace Corps has not enlightened me on my specific duties and I do not believe I will even know until I finish Pre-service Training. I will be using this blog to stay connected with people stateside and update everyone on my adventures in the South Pacific.
UPDATE:
I will working in East Maewo,an island in Penama Province, in Naviso Village. This is a very remote site and the first time Peace Corps has worked in this part of Vanuatu. This is a very exciting prospect.
I will be working as a Community Health Volunteer/Health Supervisor alongside my counterpart at the Health Dispensary in Naviso. My primary duties will be preventative in nature and could include different projects, talks, awareness building activities involving various areas of health. These areas could include Water and Sanitation, NCDs, Infectious Disease,Sex Education, etc.
