DukeEngage Summer Experience

Since 2007, Duke University has offered financial support to undergraduate students to immerse themselves in service work in various communities around the world - which is already an on-going educational mission of the University itself. For the past 4 years, Duke Engage students have joined Family Health Ministries in a wide variety of ways to not only immerse themselves in Haitian culture, but to observe, recognize and understand the Haitian culture to better guide their research decisions. The trip offers students the opportunities to understand Haitian society from within - also known as cultural relativism. Students use their experiences and encounters to develop existing and create new ways to work with Haitians.

Since 2009, Duke Engage students have continued to work with the Leogane Women's group regarding health care needs, along with supporting the Safe Motherhood project objectives. In the past, some students worked on developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment strategies - a program initiated by Dr. Ben Reese and Dr. Cynthia Frazier in 2010 after the devasting earthquake. Still other students worked on long-term projects with FHM researchers such as GIS and GPS mapping of health care facilities and related data in the region. The trip runs each year from May 30 through July 30. The video to the left is an overview of the program and describes many of the opportunities available to the participants. With a growing interest in global economies and international development, this is a very popular trip among the Duke Engage and larger global health communities.

Each summer, students contribute their stories and photos to our Duke Engage blog. Bookmark the blog link below and keep an eye on this page for updates throughout the summers, including  photographs and journal entries.

Keep up with the Duke Engage Students here, on their Blog. 

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Take a look at some of the photos from the past few summers!