eGlobal Rwanda

eGlobal is a program that pairs students in Rwanda studying at the University of Global Health Equity with UVA students to investigate global health topics relevant to both countries. In groups of four, students work over the course of the year on a research topic of their choice. 

eGlobal is a way for UVA students to have meaningful long-term engagement with international peers. We offer the program as a way to learn about another country, make some friends in Rwanda, and have fun.

The estimated time commitment will be one hour per week on Zoom with the group, and about another hour per week for online research on the topic. The program will run the full academic year, starting with an orientation in early September. At the end of the program, students give a short presentation and have the option of submitting their work to a special eGlobal edition of Conflux. Previous topics have been "Use of community health workers in mental health treatment", "Climate impact on humanitarian assistance", and "Vaccine hesitation in Rwanda and the US". Read more about past projects here. 

If you are interested in joining eGlobal, please sign up here.

Students finish eGlobal with fantastic cross-cultural and communication skills, and most importantly life-long friends. Here is what some of our past students have to say about their experience:

“For me, eGlobal was an inspiring program that allows me to get connected with students [from UGHE] and do research on topics that interest me. Out of this project, I strengthened my knowledge in public health and also developed communication and collaboration skills. It was so wonderful to have friends from other cultures, and our friendship went beyond this project. I have learned so much out of eGlobal. Everyone was so welcoming, and our advisors were very helpful in reaching out and giving suggestions.” - Katherine Tang

“I spent the 2022-2023 school year participating in eGlobal with a fellow UVA student and two Rwanda students from UGHE. It only took one Zoom meeting a week and around an hour maximum of personal research as we worked throughout the entire school year. As we navigated our topic, the impact of handwashing before and during the pandemic on parasitic infections in Rwanda and the United States, we also became much closer as individuals, and we have kept in contact throughout the summer. I learned I have a lot in common with our Rwandan friends, sharing a love of sports, music, and other hobbies. While we were using data that had already been collected by public health professionals, we also inputted our own cultural perspectives to our project, considering the different responses that people in our respective countries had to the handwashing shift in the pandemic. As we researched, we celebrated birthdays, extended congratulations, and created friendships. Having a different perspectives is so important to global health, and I am very grateful to have met my eGlobal partners.” - Leila Jamali

“I decided to do eGlobal on a whim as a way to incorporate a more global perspective as I wrapped up my last year at UVA. This experience was one of my favorite opportunities that I was able to engage in as an undergrad, as I got to do research on a unique topic that I was interested in while collaborating with my peers. For me, eGlobal was more than just a weekly zoom work session. I got the opportunity to meet with two incredible students, one here at UVA one at UGHE. We learned a lot from all the research we've done, but we also got to learn from each other, which was a pivotal part of the program. From both of my peers, I was able to gain unique new perspectives to the material we were learning but also to life itself. We are all still in contact and I am very grateful for the opportunity that eGlobal has provided me.” - Nina Jannatifar