EWH Summer Institute: Uganda

Austin Hall Start Date: Dec 16, 2019 - End Date: Apr 13, 2020

My Travel Story

by: Austin Hall Start Date: Dec 16, 2019 - End Date: Apr 13, 2020
Hi Everyone. My name is Austin Hall and I am a current sophomore studying Biomedical Engineering at Milwaukee School of Engineering. I was recently accepted to a summer institute through Engineering World Health. This program would allow me to travel to Uganda for 2 months, from May 31st, 2020 to July 26th, 2020. Over the course of this program I would have an immersive experience with the language and culture of Uganda. In addition to the language experience, I would also be spending time in hospitals to perform maintenance on the equipment and train hospital staff. This is a fantastic opportunity and I would be overjoyed to be able to attend. 

My biggest barrier to attending the program is the cost. Due to the fact that the hospitals they work in cannot afford to pay us, and program covers some meals and transportation as well as the housing. The program itself costs $6695. The program does not include the cost of the necessary vaccines, malaria prevention, airfare, college credit, a passport, and some meals and transportation. In addition to these expenses, I would have some rent to make up for while I am gone. Due to these factors, I am asking for donations so that I can accept this fantastic opportunity.

I can be contacted at austindask@gmail.com with any further questions you have.
I also want to note that this is not my only form of fundraising. I have applied for financial aid and will be applying for grants and scholarships  as well as doing some other fundraising. This means this cost is not fully representative of what I need, this is a preliminary estimate. I will be adjusting the costs accordingly as I recieve donations from other sources.

Updates

1

  • Update 1: Finances

    I just wanted to give everyone a quick update on the cost of the program. EWH is generously covering $3500 toward the cost of the program. This cuts my program cost in half.
    In addition, I discovered that I will not be able to receive school credit for this program. This does save me about $2000.
    My overall cost has been updated to reflect these changes.