Hello everyone!

Many of you inquired and some already know what I'm doing next year. I leave for Udaipur, India today to spend 10 months working as an intern/volunteer in the area of child and maternal healthcare with an organization headed by two physicians who do outreach in the villages surrounding the city. I will be living with a host family during this time and will be working with the Indian nongovernmental organization called Action Research and Training for Health during the week. The American nongovernmental organization that networks with this Indian NGO is called the Foundation for Sustainable Development. After my internship ends at the end of March 2008 I plan to travel around India for two months before coming back to apply to medical school and schools of public health.

Udaipur is in the western state of Rajasthan – a place known for its deserts, palaces, intriguing history and heat. The villages surrounding Udaipur consist of a socially conservative society with a lack of access to quality healthcare. Women and children are particularly vulnerable in this social setting, so this is the outreach the doctors and organization prioritize.

This email is on a mass email list of those I thought would be interested in receiving updates on my adventures, experience and travels. If you do not want to receive these email updates just let me know – I wouldn't mind if you told me so.

Consider this a send-off email. My future emails will hopefully be more detailed. I would appreciate all emails and thoughts and prayers from you.

Keep in touch,

Will