Introduction
Talofa lava! Mālō e lelei! Kia Ora! My name is Nele Kalolo, hailing from the villages of Faga and Vaimoso in Samoa. I was born in Samoa but was raised in the vibrant Māngere “275”, South Auckland.
This summer, I am honoured to be attending UC Chile to learn about the Chilean intercultural approach to public health.
I am extremely excited to connect vā with indigenous communities in Chile. I would love to learn about how they have used ancestral knowledge to enhance well-being on a population level to see what we in Aotearoa can learn from them.
I know this experience will tie well into my studies of a health and arts conjoint at UoA. Outside of studies, I serve various mentorship and policy roles across the health, social, and education sector at Te Pātaka Whaioranga (PHARMAC), Te Whatu Ora (Health NZ), UNICEF Aotearoa, Le Va, and the University of Auckland. In all these roles, I get to work with young people nationwide to build systems and interventions that serve our communities. I am excited to bring what I learn in Chile into these spaces whilst bringing the stories of our amazing young people to Chile.
I am extremely excited to spend the summer with my amazing cohort and bring the “275” to the world!
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A Talanoa to Return Home
Our final week in Chile came around too fast! As we prepared for farewells and did the last few things on our Chilean bucket lists, our group also prepared our final presentations. Wednesday was our final day of the Intercultural Approaches to Public Health programme at UC Chile, and we had the opportunity to share…Continue…