Ilana Booth
Global Health Trip to Geneva
In June 2024, as Global Health MSc students, my coursemates and I travelled to Geneva to explore some of the most relevant organisations in the global health community. Our Programme Convenor, Stephanie Chambers, first mentioned the trip at the beginning of the year and said that previous cohorts had planned it. At first I wasn’t so sure I would attend but throughout the year the committee (made up of people on my course) did an amazing job with planning and coordinating the trip. They eased many people's anxieties about travelling, talked students through the VISA application processes and ensured everyone was up to date with information.
To my amazement and great appreciation, we were informed that the trip would be fully funded by the university. This allowed many students to sign up who otherwise would not have been able to attend the trip. Our flights, accommodation, travel cards (for Swiss public transport), breakfast and dinner were covered, leaving only lunch and any additional tourist costs to be self-funded. I know myself and everyone on my course is extremely grateful to the University for providing us with this invaluable opportunity.
The Trip
Day one was our travel day, along with some free time in the evening. Once we arrived in Geneva, we checked into our hotel and then had time to explore! My friend and I headed straight to Lake Geneva, as we were lucky to have some sunshine. We swam, sunbathed and read our books, taking in the beautiful scenery and getting a lovely feel of the city. Swimming in a lake in the sun, which is surrounded by mountains, is definitely not what comes to mind when thinking of an educational trip- it truly was amazing.
Day two we moved from our hotel to the Geneva Hostel. Our group was mixed with people who had stayed in hostels before this trip and some (like me) who had not. Regardless of previous experience, I think all of us were pleasantly surprised with our hostel. It was lovely, and the staff and facilities available were great.
This was when our expedition truly kicked off. After checking in, we headed to the World Health Organization (WHO). We started the day with an introductory session, detailing the WHO’s main goals and how the organisation runs. As global health students, the WHO is a big deal! It’s the centre of most global heath efforts, and is definitely a dream workplace for many of us. We then got lunch on the WHO campus, which was so nice and quite different to what we would see in lunch halls in Scotland! Then we had a chat from Bechir N’Daw from UNAIDS, the main UN agency that leads the global effort to end HIV and AIDS. Many of our classes this year featured lectures on HIV/AIDS, so speaking to Bechir was very interesting and engaging- especially for those who are aiming to work for WHO in the future. Lastly, we had a talk on the emergencies and humanitarian crisis programme and toured the department. Here, we learned about how the WHO monitors, coordinates and works within ongoing crises. Overall, our day at the WHO was unforgettable, inspiring us and leaving us with impactful real-world insights into the global health context and policies.
After dinner, a small group of us went to watch the Euros. While in Switzerland, Scotland played the Swiss! We found out there was a Euros fan zone and headed there to watch the game. Sticking out like a sore thumb in our Scotland tops, we quickly realised we were in the minority. Perhaps the only Scotland fans among hundreds of people in red, when Scotland scored it was an amazing moment. We did get boo’d by the Switzerland fans, but overall our trip to the fan zone was super fun- we found a section for Scotland fans- and someone was playing the bagpipes! We ended up drawing 1-1, but nonetheless, we had a great evening.
On day three we visited the International Organization for Migration (IOM)- the UN agency responsible for migration. They are present in 17 countries and help facilitate migration, ensuring migrants have access to health assessments. They also deliver crisis and humanitarian responses. Following our talk on their work, we had a presentation on careers and employability and heard about their internship opportunities which I know sparked the interest of many of my course mates.
After the IOM, some people headed to the UN for Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's presentation on digital wellbeing, which took place in the main UN chamber. This presentation was an incredible experience for many; sitting in the main chamber and hearing Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar speak was very exciting.
On Friday, our last full day, we attended the Geneva Global Health Campus. This campus is home to the Global Fund, Gavi, UNITAID, Roll Back Malaria and Stop TB. We had presentations from each organisation, getting to know their main goals and projects and hearing stories about working for them. Our talk from Stop TB also included a pop quiz, which I won!! My prize was a Stop TB Hello Kitty, which has made it back to Glasgow safely.
While the whole day was very insightful, I think my highlight of the entire trip was getting to hear from Immaculate Bazare Owomugisha and Carol Nawina Maimbolwa. As professional advocates, they shared their life stories and work advocating for global health missions and social justice. Immaculate is a Uganda Health, HIV, Gender, and Human rights Attorney who sits on the advisory board of many global health organisations. Carol is a professional advocate who is both HIV positive and a cancer and TB survivor who has dedicated her life to ensuring global health missions fight for people like her; she also sits on various advisory councils and boards for organisations such as UNITAID.Their stories were truly moving, I will never forget meeting these wonderful ladies who have inspired me deeply- to keep learning, keep fighting and advocating for those who are often forgotten. As someone who has dedicated most of my studies to researching health inequity in Glasgow and hoping to work with marginalised groups, their words resonated with me. I am so grateful to have met them and heart the motto- “nothing for us, without us”. This motto truly captures the importance of having those impacted by health conditions/crises involved in policy discussions, I hope that all decision-making bodies adopt this approach.
Following our day at the global health campus we had more free time to explore. Most of us headed back to the lake for some chilling and swimming and had the cool experience of swimming among swans! While swans in Scotland tend to be scary and quite aggressive, the Swiss swans did not mind us at all- even when the signets were around.
One of the most striking things about Geneva was the mix of laid back European culture and the young professional culture (similar to London). We saw workers heading for drinks after work and then going for a swim in the lake- THE DREAM LIFE. Witnessing this blend of lifestyles has me wondering whether I should move to Geneva… I’m afraid Glasgow and the river Clyde don’t provide the same vibe.
Our last day was a free day, spent exploring the old town and visiting some tourist attractions such as the Geneva water fountain, Viaduc de La Jonction and St Pierre Cathedral. A lovely end to a busy trip.
Overall Experience
Our trip to Geneva has left me feeling very inspired and grateful to be a student of the University of Glasgow and to be studying something that truly changes lives. The experience was fun, exciting, educational, and definitely the trip of a lifetime! It was so lovely to spend quality time with my class mates, discussing our plans for after our course ends—our hopes and aspirations and everything we want to achieve. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that the trip has got me motivated, working hard on my dissertation and looking to the future! I hope that the University continues funding this trip for future global health students, it was a great experience, and I had a really good week. I am so glad I signed up!
