Not many of us can say we deliver medical supplies from a cruise ship, but Jennifer (Perry) Kurylowicz (BSc ’02 Kinesiology) can.
In fact, she has been doing so for 10 years, volunteering with an Australian organization called Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Medical Ships Australia and PNG. She and others from around the world deliver training and health services to rural and remote communities in Papua New Guinea from a ship, with an aim to build healthy villages and a healthy nation.
“When I see the extreme dichotomy between life in Papua New Guinea and in Canada or Australia when it comes to the basic needs for life – clean water, access to health care, education, and more – I feel compelled to take action,” Jennifer said.
“The impact I have seen is incredible and difficult to summarize, but I would say our work brings hope to life for individuals and communities.
“For example, I have seen a young boy return to school after receiving sight-restoring cataract surgery, a local health worker in a remote village receive professional development for the first time in 20 years of practice, allowing her to better serve her people, children who live in a region rampant with pertussis receive immunizations when they wouldn't normally have access to them, a family celebrate upon hearing their daughter's diagnoses of tuberculosis because they now know why she has been sick for years and realize there is a treatment, and an older woman dance her way out of the clinic after receiving a pair of glasses. All are stories of hope restored.”
Jennifer, daughter Winnie, and husband Ben.
Jennifer splits her time on the ship – where she is a clinic manager, overseeing the medical teams, including primary health care, dental, optometry, ophthalmology and health education teams – with work on land, where she procures the medical equipment and consumables needed for this work.
She says that her degree taught her how to problem solve and encouraged her to take innovative risks. “I never imagined while at Waterloo that I would be delivering training and health services from a ship to remote villages on the other side of the world, but my time there empowered me to take that leap and to not be afraid of a challenge, no matter how crazy it may sound.”
Jennifer had a baby last winter, who is now joining her and her husband in their work with YWAM. Then last summer, she received the Cross of Medical Service Medal from the Papua New Guinea government.
These days, because of COVID-19, YMAM has had to suspend the remainder of their outreaches into Papua New Guinea, and Jennifer and her husband are working remotely from home, as are the majority of her team. The team stays connected via Zoom, and Jennifer says, "We are now looking at how we can continue to support the local health system as we normally do, and to combat COVID-19 once operations are safe to resume.
“Caring for those who most need connection and support was highlighted all through my education in Applied Health Sciences. Today, I love what I do because I get to serve those in need for a short period, and I know that this service is contributing to sustainable, long-term change in a nation.”
