OWU students share their Tanzanian research

Eight Ohio Wesleyan students traveled to Tanzania this fall to complete professional research on a variety of topics

Throughout their time in Africa, each student conducted research that would be presented to a panel of nurses, doctors and other African medical professionals. This research was then presented by the students on Tuesday, Feb. 17, in the Benes Rooms of the Hamilton Williams Campus Center.

Some of the topics covered were the Tanzania Youth Alliance’s fight against HIV/AIDS, breast and cervical cancer and the link between violent conflict and AIDS in Saharan Africa.

Junior Kelli Kiffer presented her research, entitled “The Truth Behind the Bite – An Analysis and Look into Tanzanians’ Perceptions of Malaria.” Kiffer gathered information on the impact of malaria and the awareness of malaria in Africa.

Kiffer said “about 90 percent of deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa are due to malaria.” Kiffer compiled quantitative data to reach this statistic.

Junior Addy Dyrek conducted a research project entitled “Why Women in Sub-Saharan Africa are More Vulnerable to Contracting HIV: Taking a Look at the Biological, Social, Economical and Cultural Practices That Affect Women’s Health.”

Dyrek described her experience in Tanzania as “eye-opening. It was incredible to see the dynamic between men and women marriages in Africa.”

Junior MaryKate Caja worked on a project she called “Communication Barriers Between Parents and Adolescents in Tanzanian Society.”

According to Caja, her “research looked into the dynamic between parents and children on topics such as sex education.”

Accompanying the students on the semester-long trip was Randolph Quaye, director of OWU’s black world studies program.