The holidays are a time of reflection and 24-year-old Heather Cogswell has a lot to reflect on this year: a one-year serving trip to Samfya, Zambia, Africa. How she ended up there was the result of prayer. After graduating from college, Heather knew that she wanted to attend graduate school. Yet she also felt called to do something overseas.
After connecting with Willow, Heather found out about the partner organization, Bright Hope International, and it seemed like a perfect match with her skills. So, armed with her passion for Public Health, she became a Global Servant in Samfya for one year.
A Big Assignment
Heather’s main project consisted of assessing a home-based care program for people living with or affected by HIV and AIDS. In particular, she collected data to see if home-based care was effective, and a book called “The Client Carebook” was born, due to the lack of documentation tracking a client’s progress. Heather was instrumental in creating the book, which contains information such as medical history, a checklist of symptoms, reminders to take medicine, and client statistics.
The results inspired Heather’s home-based care team. For example, the average client experienced a 23 percent increase in body mass after receiving home-based care. Heather recalls one instance in which a previously bed-ridden client is now healing, going to church, and taking out a micro-loan. In fact, the Client Carebook has made such an impact that other volunteer groups in Zambia have decided to use it. Heather is thankful that the book lives on after her trip.
An Unexpected Assignment
When Heather’s aunt suggested that her second grade class become pen pals with second graders in Samfya, her second project was born. Heather embraced the idea, thinking it would be simple to execute. However, Heather soon realized that a private school, the best in Samfya, did not have second graders who could read or write.
Knowing this information led Heather and her roommate to create an after-school program where 30 to 40 kids gathered twice a week to learn and have fun. Looking back, Heather realizes that the after-school program provided much-needed laughter and perspective when juxtaposed with the gravity of her other assignment. And like The Client Carebook, the after-school program lives on.
Be Flexible and Open
Heather describes her year as a Global Servant as perhaps the most impactful experience of her life. With a dual degree in Public Health and Business ahead, Heather knows her time in Samfya will continue to affect her path. Her advice to others considering such a commitment, advice she herself follows, is to “be flexible and open to what God is calling you to do.”
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