SEO: Kapadia fulfills lifelong service goal, gives back in Malawi

Garima Kapadia, a student at the Chicago Booth School of Business, fulfilled her lifelong goal of giving back to the community by traveling to Malawi, Africa, to deliver ventilators to a hospital and educate local women about domestic violence. This experience proved to be life-changing, setting her on the path to achieving her dreams of making the world a better place.

Garima Kapadia gives back to Malawi community

Business student traveled to Malawi, Africa, to deliver hospital supplies and educate the local community about domestic violence and sexual abuse. By Mahesh Prasad Ever since her childhood in India, Garima Kapadia was passionate about community service. Witnessing the dire conditions of many Indian villages inspired her to commit her life to aiding those in need and making the world a better place. Throughout her life, Kapadia organized many functions to benefit the needy, but always strived for bigger and more far-reaching goals. When she arrived at the Chicago Booth School of Business, she got the chance to fulfill her lifelong dream of significantly giving back to the community. Kapadia became a co-chair of the Just Feed One organization, which focuses on philanthropy and supports impoverished communities worldwide. In July, Kapadia journeyed with the organization to the African country Malawi with 10 fellow students to deliver ventilators to a local hospital and educate the community about domestic violence. The journey was an eye-opening experience that demonstrated how much work remains to assist the many impoverished regions suffering from similar misfortunes. (more)

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A life-changing email In 2010, Kapadia read an article about the subpar conditions of Malawis healthcare system. The article was about a woman who died giving birth to a child, Kapadia said. This article inspired me to dig a little deeper and I realized that the mortality rate of women is really high, especially during childbirth. This harrowing realization saddened Kapadia, who witnessed similar conditions while growing up in India. Kapadia also felt a close bond with African culture, as she has many African friends. Ive always been associated with African culture and [have joined] many AfricanAmerican organizations, Kapadia said. Ive organized many events that have benefited the African community. When she heard about Malawi, however, Kapadia felt powerless with no ideas about how to help. This changed when Kapadia received an email last summer from Michelle Mbekeani, a law student at the University of Chicago. Mbekeani, a native Malawian, was attempting to recruit students for a 10-day trip to Malawi. (more)

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Kapadia immediately jumped at the chance to join the organization and continue fulfilling her community service dreams. I got affiliated with this project because Im passionate about giving back to the community, Kapadia said. Thats what I want to do lifelong. Fundraising The primary goal of this project was to deliver ventilators to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Malawi, which was in extremely poor condition. They only had four ventilators in their ICU department, Kapadia said. Malawi isnt a big country but God knows how they decide which patients get oxygen. The group recognized the dangers of a hospital having so few ventilators and managed to raise $16,000, enough to purchase four ventilators to donate. While the fundraising was not difficult, obstacles arose when the group attempted to select which model of ventilators to buy.

God knows how they decide which patients get oxygen

Garima Kapadia

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There were challenges in getting the right model so that there would be less maintenance involved, Kapadia said, emphasizing their goal to facilitate the process for the hospital employees using the ventilators. The hospital officials told us they would [often] get donations they couldnt use and just dumped them in a graveyard. Immediate impact Kapadia recognized the significance of the trip as soon as the group touched down in Malawi. The region has many needs right now, Kapadia said. You see malnourished children everywhere and you feel that you just want to stay and help them. Witnessing the pitiable conditions inspired Kapadia to maximize her time in this impoverished region that reminded her so much of her Indian roots. One initiative that Kapadia was motivated to address was to visit the Queen Elizabeth Hospitals childrens ward, where she led the group in organizing art therapy projects for the young patients. (more)

You see malnourished children everywhere and you feel that you just want to stay and help them
Garima Kapadia

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It kind of helped them take their minds off their treatment and just be in the moment and relax, Kapadia said. Educating the youth Kapadia quickly realized a prevailing issue plaguing Malawi: Kapadia (left) and her fellow students
prepare to enter the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Malawi Credit: Just Feed One Source: freshairmalawi.wordpress.com

a lack of sexual knowledge among the women that often led to domestic violence.

Theres not any emphasis on sexual identity and the women arent educated, Kapadia said. They dont have the status they do in America. Kapadia empathized with these women and was inspired to educate them about the dangers of domestic violence. We went to a school and gathered about 20 teenage girls and talked about female empowerment, Kapadia said. Kapadia also discussed the dangers of peer pressure and the importance of not being afraid to say no when coerced into sexual activity. Kapadia knew she got through to these women, demonstrating that she has the power to fulfill her lifelong dream of making a significant difference in others lives.

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Kapadia knows that her Malawi trip was only the beginning of her journey and plans to apply the journeys lessons to future endeavors. After all, she knows that she is not even close to accomplishing her goals, but is certainly on the right path. I didnt think 10 days were enough to accomplish my goals, Kapadia said. I need a lifetime.

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Garima Kapadia FAQ

Who is Garima Kapadia? Garima Kapadia is a senior at the Chicago Booth School of Business.

What is her life goal and inspiration for this goal? Garima Kapadias goal is to devote her life to providing meaningful community service to regions in need. Garima Kapadias experiences during her childhood in India provided an early insight into the misfortunes of the communities of impoverished regions.

What is Kapadias most impactful community service experience? Her experience travelling to Malawi, a region in Africa, was eye-opening, reminding her why she has committed her life to serving the community and inspiring her to take on additional projects in the future.

How did she find out about the opportunity to travel to Malawi? Kapadia came to the Chicago Booth School of Business seeking opportunities to give back to the community and one day read an email in the Chicago Booth email listserv that informed students of the poor conditions in Malawi and attempted to generate interest in organizing a trip to this region.

What did the Just Feed One organization do in Malawi? Kapadia and a group of five other students delivered ### four ventilators to a hospital in Malawi and educated members of the youth community about the dangers of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

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SEO: Meeting Michelle Mbekeani helped Garima Kapadia realize her dreams
Meeting Michelle Mbekeani, a woman with similar goals to hers, benefitted Garima Kapadia greatly, both emotionally and from a motivational standpoint. Kapadia admittedly could not have completed such a meaningful community service experience in Malawi, Africa, without her friend.

How meeting Michelle Mbekeani changed Garima Kapadias life

Two students with similar goals and backgrounds come together to give back to the community By Mahesh Prasad Garima Kapadia failed to effectively give back to the community until she met Michelle Mbekeani, a University of Chicago law student. Mbekeani, founder of the Just Feed One organization that focuses on philanthropy, changed Kapadias life forever when she recruited her for a 10-day service trip to Malawi, Africa. This trip helped Kapadia achieve her goals, a feat she admits would have been impossible without her fellow student. These two students have similar life goals and are equally motivated to serve the community, a trait that allowed them to bond instantly. My main goal is to inspire members of my generation to be engaged in their own communities, Mbekeani said.

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Mbekeani provided both motivational and emotional support to Kapadia during the trip. Mbekeani, who has family in Malawi, allowed Kapadia to stay at her relatives house, willingly treating her like a sister and making her feel welcome in this foreign country. She and her family were so nice and considerate, even cooking vegetarian meals for me, Kapadia said. Without them, I wouldve just been lost and wouldnt know where to begin. Mbekeani benefits from this friendship as much as Kapadia does, as Mbekeani hopes to follow Kapadias path of attending business school to better understand the operation of non-profit organizations. Both women hope the experience in Malawi will inspire them
Source: freshairmalawi.wordpress.com Mbekeani (right) brightens a childs day while visiting the Queen Elizabeth Hospitals childrens ward Credit: Just Feed One

to continue using their strong bond to make the world a better place for years to come.

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