Meet the International Travel Team

Members:  Dorothea Niehoff, Raquel Medina, Aisha Ahmad, Clara Vicera, Mark Wong, Ella Cettiga, Teodora Necsa, Samar Barazesh

Each summer, a team of seven interdisciplinary U of A students are selected to travel to Tanzania for 10 weeks to work on various public health initiatives. SIHA’s work is centred around our guiding principles of sustainability, anti-oppression, and community-driven initiatives. The International Travel Team works alongside our partner organization, Uluguru Repository for Development Investment (URDI). Some of our ongoing projects include the WASH program and new projects regarding menstrual health promotion. 

Meet URDI

Uluguru Repository for Development Investment (URDI) is a registered Tanzanian NGO focused on improving people’s livelihoods and quality of life through empowering communities to address barriers in health, agriculture, education, and environment. URDI consists of in-country representatives and volunteers who provide us with relevant information on their community and collaborate with us on project and partnership development. URDI helps keep projects running while the International Travel Team is in Canada and they provide them with crucial insight into local values and needs which are vital to the functioning of SIHA International. Meet our team members below!

In-Country Representatives

The In-Country Representatives, Charles (left) and Melkiory (right) support the International Travel Team in helping them adapt to the Tanzanian environment, ensure safety and work alongside to uphold SIHA values and provide Tanzanian context to issues. The In-Country Representatives also manage the In-Country Volunteers and help manage finances.

In-Country Volunteers

The In-Country Volunteers, Pastone (left) and Pilly (right), work alongside the ICRs and the interns to assist with project work and provide their input in office discussion.