Climate Change!

How many people do you know that can  truly say that they have heard of either 1.) The Medieval Global Temperature Optimum or 2.) The Little Ice Age? I for one am not familiar with them, but I happened to do a little research.

The Medieval Global Temperature Optimum, which is also known as the Medieval Warm Period (MWP), was a time where the North Atlantic region of the World was experiencing a rather warm climate which also seemed to be related to other climate changes around the world. It is said to have lasted from about 950 AD to 1250 AD. Following this event, was what came to be known as The Little Ice Age. It wasn't really a true ice age, but just a period of cooling that followed the MWP. This lasted from about the 1300's to the 1900's. During this time, there were different periods of the cold climate change.

Earthquake in Haiti

Most people are familiar with the earthquake in Haiti that happened in 2010. This earthquake was 7.0 in magnitude and killed THOUSANDS of people. A lot of damages were done to infrastructures as well, including the National Palace.

Picture that I took of the National Palace

Tent Cities

When I first heard about it, I didn't really know too much about it. I just knew that 1. There was an earthquake and 2. Many people were hurt by it. In 2011, I had the chance to go to the city of  Leogane for a mission trip. I didn't even know that Leogane was one of the main areas that was hit by the earthquake. My first time driving through the city, I saw a lot of garbage all over the streets, the smell of the city was HORRID, and there were people living in Tent Cities. Even though the city was MUCH cleaner than before, you could see that a lot of work still had to be done.

Driving through the city. 

 Since I saw the effects of the Earthquake first hand, I saw how as an emergency response health professional, it is important to have people help with things such as disaster relief. Since there was a lot of damage done to the buildings of Haiti, there was a lot of debris and pollution. These factors are both detrimental to the health of the Haitian civilians, as well as the environment. That is why people from disaster relief teams or just plain volunteers come and help not only clean up, but reconstruct.

Helping to Reconstruct a church.

  Mental Health is also very important. That is why you need people to come in and console others, especially the children because many of them lost loved ones to the earthquake.

Me with the BEAUTIFUL Haitian children <3

Malaria in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Malaria is one of the most common environmental health issues that is prevalent all over the world. It is a mosquito-borne disease that has a great effect on the continent of Africa. One country in particular, that is affected by malaria, is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. One might ask me, why are you so worried about the Congo? Well, my parents are from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, so DRC definitely has a place in my heart.



Yes, countries such as Uganda and Kenya may have the highest number of malaria cases reported, but DRC is known to have the HIGHEST number of DEATHS by malaria. Now that is just outrageous, not only is it the number one killer in that country, but it is the number one killer of CHILDREN in that country. Anybody who knows me,  knows that I LOVE kids, so it absolutely breaks my heart to hear how MY PEOPLE are dying from a disease that is more than preventable. The World Health Organization reported that everyday over 400 CHILDREN die in DRC, within this number HALF of them are dying because of malaria.

Video: Battle Against Malaria in the Congo

Although this is an ongoing problem in the DRC, there are organizations such as NetsforLife that help prevent this problem

NetsForLife: DRC

World Malaria Day Mosquito Net Distribution in DRC