African Family Health Organization (AFAHO)
Title: Where Public Health Meets Belonging
Student Interns:
Isaiah Dawid
University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine
Mauryce Thomas II
University of Pennsylvania, School of Social Policy & Practice
Academic Preceptor:
Johanna K.P. Greeson, PhD, MSS, MLSP
University of Pennsylvania, School of Social Policy & Practice
Abby Quinn Peterson, DMD, MPH
University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine
Elizabeth Powell, DDS, MPH
University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine
Community Preceptor:
Elizabeth Porter, MEd
African Family Health Organization
Community Site:
Located near Africatown in Southwest Philadelphia, the African Family Health Organization (AFAHO) is dedicated to serving persons in the African/Caribbean diaspora. AFAHO works to help strengthen the community and facilitate social integration through the utilization of a peer support model. AFAHO assesses the needs of its community members to help them flourish.
Team’s Experience:
The Bridging the Gaps student interns were tasked with helping with the communal food pantry, hosted once every two weeks by AFAHO in partnership with Philabundance, which supplies the food. Additionally, the interns helped run a summer camp for secondary and postsecondary students. During this camp, interns planned and hosted STEM-based workshops; assisted with outdoor games and activities; and provided English, math, and résumé-building skill sessions.
Reflections
The interns time at AFAHO was eye opening to the diversity of the ACIR experience. Both Mauryce and Isaiah came in potentially wanting to serve this population in their careers and eager to learn more about the intricacies of these communities. From navigating generational divides to confronting the fear of ICE raids, they witnessed firsthand how injustice manifests in both daily routines and institutional systems. These experiences challenged the interns to better discern the needs of a community from an interdisciplinary perspective. Isaiah leaves the program knowing he would like to incorporate some elements of community care he saw at AFAHO into his future dental practice. Mauryce leaves with a greater understanding of the intricacies of the immigration process and the importance of language.
Isaiah Dawid & Mauryce Thomas