Introduction
Talofa lava! Mālō e lelei! Kia Ora! My name is Nele Kalolo, hailing from the villages of Faga and Vaimoso in Samoa. I was born in Samoa but was raised in the vibrant Māngere “275”, South Auckland.
This summer, I am honoured to be attending UC Chile to learn about the Chilean intercultural approach to public health.
I am extremely excited to connect vā with indigenous communities in Chile. I would love to learn about how they have used ancestral knowledge to enhance well-being on a population level to see what we in Aotearoa can learn from them.
I know this experience will tie well into my studies of a health and arts conjoint at UoA. Outside of studies, I serve various mentorship and policy roles across the health, social, and education sector at Te Pātaka Whaioranga (PHARMAC), Te Whatu Ora (Health NZ), UNICEF Aotearoa, Le Va, and the University of Auckland. In all these roles, I get to work with young people nationwide to build systems and interventions that serve our communities. I am excited to bring what I learn in Chile into these spaces whilst bringing the stories of our amazing young people to Chile.
I am extremely excited to spend the summer with my amazing cohort and bring the “275” to the world!
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Making Ourselves at Home in Chile
At first glance, Santiago can feel extremely far from our Pacific homes. My first thought of the city as our LATAM flight flew over majestic mountains was, “Where did the Moana go?” The Island gurl in me is still adjusting to Chile’s most land-locked region as Santiago’s dry heat replaces my usual humid summers, which…Continue…
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Beyond the Classroom
Another week in the heat of Santiago as we delve deeper into learning about the Chilean health system! This week, we took our learning outside of the classroom and immersed ourselves in various settings connected to well-being. After a seminar on health, we visited the huerta (vegetable garden) on the San Joaquin campus. At the…Continue…
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The Moana connecting the Pacific to Chile
This week was a reminder that Indigenous peoples worldwide remain interconnected through Tino rangatiratanga! We started the week learning about the eleven indigenous communities recognised here in Chile by the amazing Dr. Gabriela Pina. Her lesson explaining the ‘processes’ involved in indigenous identity politics made me think of how people associate with indigeneity. Furthermore, it…Continue…