From Burundi to Breaking Glass Ceilings: STAR Book Club & Tracy Kidder’s Strength in What Remains
By Rana Ansari
Try to imagine a situation where you are forced to leave your dorm, apartment, studio, or house as early as tomorrow to flee to a country halfway across the world with nothing but $200.
You have to say goodbye to your family, pets, and friends, and leave Richmond behind. Finding a place to stay on your first night abroad is impossible, and your stomach growls with hunger.
The little sliver of hope you had when you met someone who spoke English vanished when you realized you are a single drop in the vast sea of the big city you just landed in.
There are those of us who are lucky enough to only imagine it, and then there are those who had the experience of living it and ending up stronger than they could have ever imagined.
Try to imagine a situation where you are forced to leave your dorm, apartment, studio, or house as early as tomorrow to flee to a country halfway across the world with nothing but $200.
Village Health Works is a non-governmental organization that is dedicated to providing healthcare and education to areas within Burundi where those are not easily accessible.
The grassroots organization was founded in 2006 by Deogratias Niyizonkiza, a Burundian American who experienced the life-altering process of becoming a refugee.
Deogratias, or Deo, was a third-year medical student in Burundi when the Civil War forced him to flee his country and arrive in New York.
It was a combination of hope, hard work, sacrifice, and strength that led him to find people that could guide him through this new life in which he dreamed of finding success.
Deo had the opportunity to take undergraduate courses at Columbia University, continue his medical school training at Dartmouth, and receive a Master's in Public Health at Harvard.
It was a combination of hope, hard work, sacrifice, and strength that led him to find people that could guide him through this new life in which he dreamed of finding success.
In addition to the mission to continue his medical education in a country he has never been in before, he devoted his efforts to rebuilding the healthcare system back home to ensure he expands the opportunities that he has gained from his experiences in the United States.
Village Health Works is not only a symbol of the dedication to his efforts, but it also represents the yearning desire of all refugees to only go back home to bring peace, healthcare, and opportunity in the same way they experienced in the United States.
This is only the surface of what Deo experienced as a refugee: returning to his home and bringing quality healthcare that wasn’t there before.
This is a story of courage, hope, and sacrifice, which can only be truly understood in Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Kidder’s Strength in What Remains.
In Honors student Vineeth Vaidyula’s student organization, Students Together Assisting Refugees (STAR), I am running this semester’s book club, which will occur every Friday from 5:30 to 6:30pm at Harris Hall 2115.
This past Friday, we had our first meeting and discussed the nuances of Deo’s journey as well as did some pre-readings before we dove into the book. It’s not too late to join, and we provide the books!
This is a story of courage, hope, and sacrifice, which can only be truly understood in Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Kidder’s Strength in What Remains.
If you are interested in this experience where you can learn more about Burundi, the refugee experience in America, and Deo’s inspiring story, please email me at ansarir2@vcu.edu!
We would love to have you as we share our perspectives and experiences as it relates to the story, as it is this form of exploration where we can truly find ourselves and how we fit in this world.
Photo courtesy of Rana Ansari