Applying Science Communiation for Policy Development in International Humanitarian Aid Work

One of the most valuable science communication skills I developed while participating in the Notation program was the ability to reframe scientific content for a particular audience, by using language familiar to the audience and by orienting the subject matter around ideas and agents important to the audience. Through an internship with the nonprofit organization Friends of Minzoto, I had an opportunity to develop and apply this skill while exploring the implications of scientific knowledge for humanitarian aid efforts.

Following my high school efforts on behalf of Congolese victims of violence, I joined colleagues from that earlier work as a founding board member for a new 501(c)(3) organization:  Friends of Minzoto. Friends of Minzoto is dedicated to empowering the community of Dungu, Democratic Republic of Congo in its recovery from five years of terror and destruction imposed by the Lord’s Resistance Army. Our organization provides assistance by forming partnerships with local leaders and other aid groups in order to support community-led projects key to recovery and development. In addition to my work developing and managing the organization while coordinating our first partnership projects with my fellow board members, I completed a formal internship project benefitting Friends of Minzoto in winter 2014-15. Leveraging my Stanford coursework in infectious disease and global health, I conducted literature research and interviews to create an in-depth report describing the healthcare system in Dungu, identifying key health challenges in the community, and proposing strategies for partnership development to support locally-driven health initiatives. This internship allowed me to apply my science communication abilities to humanitarian aid work and challenged me to express technical information to an audience whose chief concern is not retaining an understanding of the underlying science but leveraging the information gleaned for immediate action. As a result of this unique audience objective, I had opportunities in my final report to explore and present direct links between scientific information and policy recommendations.