Each year UBCO nursing students raise funds through the Global Gala to travel to African communities and participate in health-care related projects while learning about the culture. On one such trip to Nyobok, Ghana, student Emma Miller had the opportunity to make shea butter with Project GROW. Photo credit: katienugent.com.
What: Global Health Gala
Who: UBCO School of Nursing, in partnership with health-care partners in Zambia and Ghana
When: Friday, November 22, doors open at 6 pm
Where: Revelry Kelowna, 1383 Ellis Street, Kelowna
Nursing students at UBC Okanagan are organizing a gala and silent auction as a fundraising and awareness initiative for the university’s Global Health Practicum program.
For more than 20 years, UBCO nursing students have travelled to Ghana and Zambia on a Global Health Practicum. The practicum is part of the students’ final clinical practice experience and provides an opportunity to learn and teach collaboratively with their community health-care partners.
“The global gala is a chance for our community to raise awareness of health inequity and leadership,” says Jenna Linford, Bachelor of Science in Nursing student. “Bringing people together to inspire change and learn more about global health is a privilege, and I am grateful to be a part of this powerful event.”
All net proceeds from the gala support the needs of community partners in Ghana and Zambia, including health-care supplies, medications, community clinics and other health initiatives.
For the next practicum in Zambia in early 2025, community partners have identified the need for medical supplies including an obstetrical doppler, stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, thermometers, isolation gowns and privacy dividers. The student team’s fundraising goal for this year is $10,000.
This year’s gala takes place at Revelry Kelowna on Friday, November 22, with doors opening at 6 pm. The evening will feature a three-course dinner, live music with Juno-nominated singer-songwriter Giselle Sanderson, a silent auction with more than 40 local business sponsors and a program of speakers to learn more about the global health partnership.
The public is welcome to attend this fundraiser. For more information, prices and to purchase tickets visit: events.ok.ubc.ca/event/school-of-nursing-global-health-gala
