In 2003, Dr. Christopher Lewis traveled to Tanzania during his family medicine residency training at the University of Cincinnati. He worked at a hospital in a rural village and quickly discovered how difficult it was for anyone in the surrounding villages to access healthcare. The only way anyone could see a doctor was by making an arduous, daylong walk to the hospital. A pregnant mother who would have been Dr. Lewis' first patient died making this journey to the hospital while she was in labor.
When his month was over Lewis wasn't ready to leave and made it his goal to come back. In the next six years he made eight trips back to Tanzania and founded the nonprofit Village Life Outreach Project. The group partners with villages, implementing sustainable projects to fight poverty and improve health and educational outcomes.
Joining Cincinnati Edition to discuss the Village Life Outreach Project are President and Founder Dr. Christopher Lewis. He is also the University of Cincinnati Vice Provost for Academic Programs and a UC College of Medicine Associate Professor of Family Medicine. Also joining the program are UC Department of Emergency Medicine Associate Professor and UC Health Emergency Room Physician Dr. Stewart Wright; and University of Cincinnati Environmental Engineering student Grace Aldredge.