Class of 2004

» KATIE GREENWOOD teaches Malawians to grow gardens for their long-term health.

"I am here to plant gardens," says Greenwood. "For some reason I feel this is an appropriate response to the conditions of daily poverty throughout Malawi."

The Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, native has been working since January with the Malawi Permaculture Network to address issues of nutrition in the country's large HIV-positive population. "Malawians suffer from food insecurity, hunger, malnutrition and stunted growth," says Greenwood, adding that the World Health Organization states that the lives of HIV-positive people can be extended through access to greater variety and quality of food. Greenwood is working to teach Malawians concepts of environmentally sustainable gardening —working with plants local to Malawi and Africa that will also fulfill nutrition needs specific to the HIV community.

In Malawi Greenwood hopes to enhance health and prolong lives, such that more people can survive to access the medical treatments they need. "The aim of my project is to use all the nonmedical resources we have to keep people alive and strong—while also working to improve many of the environmental and public health conditions that contributed to the rapid spread of AIDS in Malawi in the first place." Track her progress on her blog at www.geographyfieldwork.blogspot.com. —Sue DuBois '05