Alumni in the Field
Lean Camara, MSW'02
When Lean Camara, MSW’02, began her academic career, her professional plans did not include social work. As an undergraduate at Ithaca College in NY, she was a journalism major with a specific interest in sports broadcasting. However, in her journalism courses she wrote primarily about social issues like child abuse and HIV/AIDS. One of her professors encouraged her to explore social work and the rest, as they say, is history. Lean entered Penn’s MSW program immediately following her graduation from Ithaca College.
As a student, Lean completed her second year field placement at EDTEC, a management training and consulting firm in Camden, which was co-founded by two Penn MSW graduates (Aaron Bocage ’75 and George Waters, Jr. ’72). She balanced her macro course work by volunteering at United Community Clinics (UCC), and continued this pattern after graduation: while working full time at EDTEC she volunteered at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center. After one and a half years as an EDTEC employee, she accepted the position she currently holds at Project H.O.P.E. within Lourdes Medical Center. Here, as the Assistant Director, Lean oversees data management and supervises the provision of outreach, substance abuse, and social services in a primary health care clinic for homeless.
Lean’s pattern of volunteering outside of work only seems to get stronger, and this summer she and a friend participated in a service trip for three weeks and worked at an orphanage in Africa. The trip was unrelated to work; she found the opportunity through Global Crossroads while doing internet research on volunteer organizations. Below, Lean describes her trip to Africa and her experiences at the orphanage.
Lean's Perspective
AIDS is the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa according to the United Nations. Consequently, sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s highest proportion of children who are orphans, with 12.3 million AIDS orphans. It is estimated that 10 to 14 percent of these orphans live in Tanzania.
In July 2006, I traveled to Tanzania and volunteered for three weeks at an orphanage in a rural village called Kibaha, located about 31 miles outside of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city. The orphanage, Ebenezer House of Hope (EHH), is a registered not-for-profit that provides shelter to 13 orphans, and financial support for food, clothing, and education to an additional 57 orphans in the village. EHH is privately-funded by a local Tanzanian couple, who founded the organization in 2004.
An article published in the July 2006 Social Work journal titled, “The African Orphan Crisis and International Adoption,” examined the negative living conditions of orphans in sub-Saharan Africa and the inadequate response to the orphan crisis. EHH, operated with volunteers from Kibaha, is a powerful example of a successful grassroots response to the orphan crisis. The founders felt compelled to address the needs of their community and began by conducting a needs assessment of Kibaha. Building an orphanage and providing financial support to orphans was the first priority. The founders hope to expand EHH services by developing a health clinic.
Despite the well-documented poor living conditions of orphans throughout sub-Saharan Africa, the orphans at EHH, who range in ages 5 to 16 years old, receive excellent care. Each child receives three meals a day, a bed, a mosquito net, and a strong sense of belonging. These conditions are a drastic improvement for most of the orphans. Prior to living at EHH, many of the orphans were without regular food, shelter, and a cohesive support system because of family member deaths.
The orphans are impressively resilient and happy. Each morning they excitedly anticipated the arrival of the other volunteers and me at the orphanage from our 4.5 mile walk from the founders’ house. We arrived each morning to be greeted by the orphans, who waited for us to appear in the distance before racing to meet us while screaming our names.
We spent our days at the orphanage instructing and interacting with the children. Every morning we taught counting, colors, body parts, and shapes in English. English is the second official language of Tanzania; Swahili is the first official language. For lunch, usually we ate a traditional meal of ugali (cornmeal mush) and beans. After lunch, we played various games. The orphans’ favorite activities were duck-duck goose, monkey in the middle, and coloring.
Despite the many positive achievements of the orphanage, resources are limited and some needs are unmet. The orphans have less than a week’s worth of clothing. Many of the male orphans only have two outfits. The orphanage’s entertainment supplies include a radio donated from a previous volunteer, one set of cards, and one ball. Our teaching supplies were limited to what each volunteer brought with them from their native country.
Access to medical treatment is limited in Kibaha. The closest health clinic is 5 miles away, which almost all villagers reach by walking or riding bicycles. During my volunteer time, two of the orphans contracted malaria. Fortunately, the founders of EHH personally drove the two orphans to the health clinic and paid for their medical treatment. Additionally, there is limited access to HIV testing and treatment. One of the orphans has been diagnosed with HIV, but was receiving no treatment.
Four weeks prior to leaving for Tanzania, I was fortunate to meet Tanzania’s Prime Minister, two Tanzanian Cabinet Members, Tanzania’s Ambassador to the United Nations, and Tanzania’s Ambassador to the United States. We discussed the harsh realities of AIDS and poverty in Tanzania, but when I asked what I should know about Tanzania before traveling there, the U.N. Ambassador informed me of Tanzanians’ gracious and welcoming nature. The Ambassador was right. My experience in Tanzania exceeded my expectations and the Ambassador’s praise.
If you would like to learn more about EHH or how to volunteer at EHH, please contact me, Lean Camara, at lcamara@alumni.upenn.edu.