Biology Without Borders
International travel and volunteerism
A recent addition to the College of Biological Sciences, Biology Without Borders (BWB), is a student established and operated volunteer organization. Its purpose is to provide volunteer opportunities to students in a broad spectrum of biological areas. The majority of activities focus on student-planned health and conservation volunteerism—both locally and globally. BWB aims to provide students with intense, comprehensive, and independent volunteer experiences abroad. The first student-led trip successfully took place in August of 2007 when a group of three CBS students traveled to Tanzania to volunteer in various health and educational settings.
This past summer six students traveled to Bukoba, Tanzania to volunteer and shadow in various departments, such as pediatrics, surgery, infectious disease, and HIV/AIDS, at the Kagera Regional Hospital. The students also worked with IZAAS Medical Project to build a metal-sheet house for an orphan and her grandmother, whose mud house was destroyed after a recent rainstorm.
In addition to volunteering, the students implemented a project entitled Diabetes Advocacy Through Awareness and Education to address diabetes—a health concern that is both locally and globally significant. The students collected patient data from three major hospitals in the Kagera Region this summer to determine the demographics of diabetes prevalence in the northern eastern region of Tanzania. This data will be used to not only confirm the presence of this rising health concern, but also to push for the creation and organization of diabetes mobile clinics, a BWB project in partnership with the Bukoba Lions Club. The mobile clinics will provide health screening to residents in rural areas. It will also host BWB volunteers interested in health care opportunities.
To address diabetes locally, the students also worked with the Bukoba Disabled Assistance Project (BUDAP) to create key chains that display the international diabetes symbol, a blue circle. These key chains are sold in Minnesota to increase diabetes awareness here. This project is sustainable and unique in that not only does it allow BWB to successfully address diabetes locally in Minnesota, it also creates an income for those in need in Bukoba, Tanzania because all proceeds from the sale are returned to the people of BUDAP.
In addition to providing volunteer opportunities, the organization also attempts to provide financial support to students to supplement the cost of travel, especially for international trips. Throughout the year, students raise funds by working in such venues as the H.H.H. Metrodome selling Dome dogs and ice cream sundaes, running coffee/bagel sale, delivering phone books, and selling BWB t-shirts. Contributions to Biology Without Borders are always welcome!
For more information on Biology Without Borders check out their website at www.tc.umn.edu/~bwb.
