During the summer of 2025, I designed and led a field study in northern Tanzania through Drexel’s partnership with World Vision. My work focused on understanding how cultural, psychosocial, and spiritual beliefs shape women’s experiences with water fetching and participation in WASH programs. With the help of local enumerators, I surveyed and interviewed 100 women across several villages, gathering both numbers and stories that captured the depth of their daily challenges.

What I found went beyond issues of infrastructure. Women described symbolic and spiritual risks tied to water, feelings of internalized shame, and social pressures that often limited their access. These insights are now serving as the foundation for possible manuscripts, conference posters and policy briefs aimed at creating more culturally grounded WASH interventions. This experience was deeply meaningful for me, as it brought together my interests in psychiatry, global health and research while giving voice to perspectives that are often overlooked in global health conversations.

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