The PS 39 Buzz: Mitchell and Jocelyn Baker in Rwanda

We always love to keep up with our PS 39 families, even when they’re halfway around the world. Mitchell and Jocelyn Baker, the parents of Zoe and Winnie, are all currently living in Rwanda (far from Park Slope!).

Jocelyn is making the most of her nursing skills to help care for the people there. They plan to return to us in January 2012, but for now, we thought you might like to see how they’re doing.

The beautiful photos below were taken by Mitchell. The following is our interview with Jocelyn.

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Winnie watching a cow from a tree  

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Miami, Florida, but my husband grew up in Manhattan. I moved to the city in 2002 (when I was pregnant with Zoe) and haven't looked back since.  

Who do you have attending PS 39? 
My older daughter, Zoe, age 8, has been attending PS 39 since she was in Pre-K with Miss Cassens. This year she was in third grade with Mrs. Taylor.

When did you first become interested in nursing? 
I have pretty much always worked in public health. I started out as a Peace Corps volunteer in Gabon in 1998 and from there moved on to work for various other non-profits, both overseas and in New York City. I often worked with African immigrants in the city as well. In 2004, I became interested in pursuing a more clinical path and finding a way to help people more directly. So I decided to return to school to become a nurse.

Our House

I had to take a lot of special pre-requisites like Anatomy and Physiology (learning all about how the body works - I loved it!) before I could start my program. I did the accelerated BSN program at Columbia University in 2006-2007 - the same year that Zoe was in Pre-K. It was a very busy year!

Our street in the Umudugudu (village)

Do you have a specialty? 
I have specialized in maternal and child health (i.e. mothers and babies). Having lived in Africa for many years, I saw that there was a real need in this area - especially around childbirth. We tend to take for granted in this country that having a baby will be a safe experience, but the reality is that almost half a million women die every year during childbirth. For that reason, I decided to specialize in maternity care and am currently working towards becoming a certified nurse midwife (a special type of advanced nurse that helps women deliver babies).

Zoe in Akagera park (note the baboon)

How did you become involved in working in Rwanda? 
In Rwanda, I work for an international organization called Partners in Health. I, like many people, first learned about PIH from a wonderful book about its' founder, Paul Farmer, called "Mountains Beyond Mountains". That book was about the work he started, building a clinic and
improving healthcare in rural Haiti.
Dr. Farmer believed that everyone has the right to good health and good healthcare - no matter if they are rich or poor, if they are black or white, urban or rural, or whether or not they live in a wealthy country. I, and many, many other people, have found his books and his work very inspiring and it is what brought me to work here in Rwanda.

 What are your biggest challenges there?  
There are so many challenges here! In my work though, probably the biggest challenge is a lack of resources in the hospital and health centers - all the little things we take for granted in the US. Things like medicines, blood pressure cuffs, thermometers, scissors, even clean sheets. Oftentimes the nurses here just have to do without and figure out other ways to take care of people who are sick.
There are also definitely not enough nurses in this country (11 million people and only 6,000 nurses), which is one of the reasons that PIH brought me here - to help train new and existing nurses so that they can give the best possible care to their patients.
In our personal life here too there are many challenges as well. Now that Zoe and the family are here with me, we have moved into a little house in the village (or, as they say here, umudugudu) next to the hospital. The house doesn't have running water and the electricity can be spotty. So that is definitely challenging!

Zoe reading under her mistnet, with her new kitten, Crookshanks, tucked under her arm. Malaria is not very dense, but it is endemic here, so we have window screens and bednets for sleeping.  

 Do you see Rwanda's situation improving anytime soon?  
Oh yes, definitely! Rwanda is an amazingly industrious country with a very strong leader who is determined to see his country become a shining star in Africa. In the capital of Kigali, there is so much construction going on. It is also very well organized, clean, and safe - one of the nicest big cities I've been to in this part of Africa. The Rwandan people as well are extremely hardworking and dedicated to improving their lives and their country.

Zoe and Winnie walking from our village

 What do you miss most about home?
The food - definitely the food! Especially the food in New York! Bagels from La Bagel Delight and Dim Sum in Queens (and pizza, mmm, pizza...).

What do you miss about PS 39?  
Oh there are so many things we love about PS 39! I would have to say though, that first and foremost is all the wonderful teachers! My mother was a teacher and so I know firsthand what a challenging job it is and what it takes to be really good. I feel so fortunate that Zoe has had the opportunity to be nurtured and taught by such a strong group of people. We, of course, also love the PS 39 community. We have all made so many good friends through the school and I know Zoe misses her classmates a ton! 

 When do you return?  
We will actually be back in the states this summer, but staying up at our farm in Ithaca, NY (all PS 39ers welcome!). Zoe, though, won't be back at PS 39 until the following winter - January 2012, when she will be able rejoin all of her classmates in the fourth grade.