South Lakes’ very own, Fenet Dargie, recently received an opportunity to visit hospitals in Mombasa, Kenya as an intern. Over the course of two weeks, she was able to witness surgeries on a child with intersex syndrome, a brain surgery, a femur reconstruction surgery, and a 12 hour open heart surgery performed on a three month old malnourished baby.
Dargie had the privilege of being inside the operating room with the patients and doctors. She enjoyed the fact that this program was not as sheltered as other programs and that she was able to be more hands on with patients. There were around 15-20 interns and some patients even assumed that they were doctors and nurses because of their professionalism and pre-med badges.

Since this program was extremely competitive, she expressed her gratitude for this opportunity.
“Although the atmosphere was pretty intense, I was thankful to see all the different aspects of the medical world and how the doctors diagnose people and decide if they need surgery and which surgery is needed,” Dargie said.
This program is called International Medical Aid (IMA) and they focus on pre-med internships. The IMA required about $1000 which covered food, housing and transportation in Kenya while Dargie paid for her flight to Kenya. Dargie considers her internship to be a “once in a lifetime opportunity.” Other study abroad programs throughout the United States are very selective and Dargie is grateful she received a chance with IMA.
Most of the participants in this program were college students preparing to go to medical school. Dargie was one of two high school students on the entire trip. College students were prioritized because they have less time and it is beneficial for their medical school applications. The interns were allowed only to observe and assist with paperwork.
She discovered this program in her freshman year, but was not very interested. The summer before her junior year she rediscovered the program and applied. Since she was saving up money, she applied late and did not receive any of the scholarships that were offered.
This program was not only working with hospitals in Kenya, but also hospitals in Peru, France and Uganda. She ultimately chose Kenya because of her origin in Ethiopia. The environments and health care systems throughout East Africa are very similar which is why she chose Kenya. She felt connected to the cause and “wanted to know how [she] could help [her] family in Ethiopia.”
During the two weeks, Dargie visited a private and public hospital. There was a notable difference between the two. The public hospital was located in a poor area with only government funding which caused many problems like lack of resources and a shortage of nurses. Dargie even noted that the public hospital “didn’t even have drinking water or hand sanitizer.” Instead of going to the hospital, many locals attempt at-home remedies or endure their pain for the rest of their lives.
Meanwhile, the private hospitals were more advanced and had better materials. Overall the atmosphere was completely different with a private beach and private hospital rooms. Most of the people who visit these kinds of hospitals are wealthy, like government officials.
Dargie wanted to highlight how the alarming difference in hospital treatment does not only happen in Kenya, but occurs all over the world. Hospitals are understaffed and underdeveloped which forces the patients to put their lives on hold because their diseases cannot be treated.

Dargie was not only learning in the hospital for the whole trip. She was able to go around the city of Mombasa with the other interns. While she was there, she danced with the locals, did henna (similar to tattoos and only stains the skin for 1-2 weeks) for others, and saw giraffes and elephants up close.
According to Dargie, the most memorable thing she experienced was the open heart surgery because it was incredibly tense. She vividly remembers how the smell of blood increased the tension. It took 12 hours and was performed on a three month old, malnourished baby. She learned a lot about small technical procedures that have a huge impact on the baby. Although Dargie was not able to observe for the entire 12 hours, it was very impactful to her.
Before this program, Dargie wanted to do “something involving skin” and become either a plastic surgeon or a dermatologist. Now, she is interested in becoming a pediatric surgeon and said, “the program intensified her interest in pediatric surgery.”
Before college she plans to participate in more internships to increase her resume. She also wants to volunteer more and try new things because in case she changes her mind in the future.
Currently, Dargie is a senior at South Lakes who is planning to go to Virginia Tech (VA Tech) or the University of Virginia (UVA). Both schools have amazing medical programs that help guide students to medical school. Dargie is interested in chemical engineering which is a major that is offered by VA Tech and UVA.