My name is Brittany Ammerman, I am a third-year medical student at Penn State College of Medicine and an AMWA member. A couple of my classmates and I have embarked on a new initiative during the COVID pandemic and we want to connect with others who might be interested in helping. In short, we are raising money to support women’s health in rural southeastern Kenya via the nonprofit I founded, called The Nikumbuke Soccer League/Nikumbuke Project. As of today, we have been able to send funds for these women to sew masks out of kanga cloth, purchase fever medications, and build makeshift sinks for handwashing (called “Tippy Taps”).
The Nikumbuke Project/Nikumbuke Soccer League is a nonprofit organization that provides women and girls in rural Kenya the opportunity to participate in sport, receive an education, and become health promoters. It revolves around the implementation of multiple health initiatives and the format that educating one village woman on different aspects of health can result in a pyramid-like effect within each village, therefore educating thousands in the process.
At Penn State, we have launched a modest campaign to raise funds for a COVID Emergency Relief Fund for the women of Nikumbuke, as we fear what the consequences might be when COVID hits their population. Read more and watch a short video on what the women are doing to prepare for COVID at the project’s GoFundMe page.
Visit the COVID Emergency Relief Fund GoFundMeContact me if you are interested in helping to spread the word or are genuinely interested in Nikumbuke as a whole.
Thank you for your time!
Brittany Ammerman
Penn State College of Medicine
MD Candidate, Class of 2022
bammerman@pennstatehealth.psu.edu
