As my LEAD Global postdoctoral fellowship draws to a close, I’ve been reflecting on a year filled with learning, growth, and community engagement. Over the past year, I have deepened my research in child and adolescent behavioral health, focusing on equity-driven, community-engaged approaches both locally in St. Louis and globally in Sub-Saharan Africa. One of […]
Author: Andom Fithi, PhD
Are the African Children Playing?
Play is more than a pastime: it is a right, a refuge, and a critical ingredient in child development. It nurtures creativity, resilience, social connection, and emotional well-being. Through play, children learn to solve problems, build friendships, explore the world around them, and regulate their emotions. Yet, for millions of children affected by conflict and […]
Community as Liberation
When I reflect on my journey to Uganda, I am always drawn back to the first time I saw the Independence Monument. Located in the heart of Kampala, the 29-foot-tall concrete sculpture shows a woman standing firmly on the ground, tied with a rope around her body but lifting her child up to the sky, […]