Emrakabe Nina: A Doctor and a Change Agent
Meet Dr Nina, our public health champion.
Emrakabe Nina is a medical doctor and an advisor at Ireme, an implementation partner of Move Up Global in rural Rwanda. Dr Nina has a passion for linking education and health as a strategy to improve population health outcomes and sustainable community development. Using Move Up Global’s framework known as the Knot, Dr Nina trains teachers and students to liaise with community health workers and serve as change agents in their own communities.
Why Move Up Global Focuses on Building Community and Health Systems Linkages
Move Up Global believes that health and education are interrelated and mutually reinforcing. By building strong linkages between community and health systems, Move Up Global aims to address the root causes of poor health and education outcomes, such as poverty, malnutrition, neglected tropical diseases, lack of access to quality services, and social determinants of health. Move Up Global works hand-in-hand with its partners in Rwanda, ensuring equal partnership and cooperation.
The Benefits of Leveraging Schools and Community Voices
Move Up Global’s framework helps communities identify their own needs, priorities, and solutions. The Knot framework involves engaging schools and community voices in the design and implementation of innovative projects that address the gaps in health and education. For example, teachers and other community members designed a robust soap making project to support students and families in need. This social enterprise aims at improving hygiene and eradicating neglected tropical diseases. To eradicate malnutrition, teachers and community members have launched community gardens and poultry farming projects. By leveraging schools and community voices, Move Up Global empowers communities to take ownership of their own development and well-being.
The Knot Framework: A Potential Model to Accelerate the Pace toward Archiving Sustainable Development Goals
Move Up Global’s model integrates health and education interventions in a holistic and participatory way. It also uses evidence-based approaches and best practices from global health and education experts. Move Up Global’s model has the potential to improve sustainable development goals by addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity, such as ending poverty, ensuring quality education, promoting good health and well-being, reducing inequalities, and fostering partnerships for the goals.
Move Up Global aligns with the local and national priority to eradicate malnutrition, neglected tropical diseases, and other poverty related diseases by providing preventive and curative services to children and families in need. For example, only $0.50 can prevent or treat a child with intestinal worms, which can impair growth, cognition, and school performance. Move Up Global also aligns with the local and national priority to improve academic outcomes by supporting teachers and students with quality education materials, training, mentoring, and scholarships. Move Up Global believes that by improving health and education outcomes, it can help break the cycle of poverty and create opportunities for a brighter future.
How Move Up Global Prevents School Dropout Rates and Absenteeism
High rate of school dropout or absenteeism among children remains a major challenges in Rwanda. According to data from 2020–2021 statistics year book, the percentage of primary school dropouts grew from 7.8% in 2019 to 9.5 percent in 2020–2021. The percentage of secondary school dropouts increased from 8.2% in 2019 to 10.3% in 2020/21. Some of the causes of school dropout or absenteeism are related to poor health.
Move Up Global prevents school dropout rates or absenteeism by ensuring an improved skills building at schools and community level. By using the Knot framework, Move Up Global helps students develop critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, creativity, and innovation skills that are essential for their academic success and future careers. By involving parents and community members in the education process, Move Up Global also fosters a supportive environment that encourages students to stay in school and learn.
Moreover, Move Up Global prevents school dropout rates or absenteeism by improving the timely detection of common diseases that affect children and hinder their performance and success in life. By improving the health status of children, Move Up Global also improves their attendance, participation, and achievement in school.
We thank Dr Nina and other health professionals who are thinking out of the box to implement innovative and community designed interventions to address health and well-being. Dr Nina is a doctor and a change agent who is making a difference in the lives of many children and families in Rwanda. By linking education and health, Dr Nina is helping to create a healthier and more educated society that can achieve its full potential.