As the first light of dawn caresses the horizon in the island nation of 马达加斯加, the sky blushes with pink and gold hues, casting a soft glow over the lush landscape. 猴面包树, 古老而雄伟, stand silhouetted against the burgeoning light, their twisted branches reaching skyward as if in a silent prayer for humanity. 

这就是问候 和平队 volunteer MacKenzie Hafer each morning. A 2020 University of West Georgia alumna and 人类学 graduate, humanity – whether it be from a cultural or physical lens – has always fascinated her.

“One of the most important principles in the field is cultural relativism, which means not judging another culture based on the standards of what is ‘normal’ within your own culture,她解释道. “What this means to me is waking up every day with an open heart and an open mind and experiencing the beautiful Malagasy culture for what it is and not anything it isn’t.”

哈弗来过了 马达加斯加 自2023年2月起. An extremely diverse island where different areas are affected by different diseases and issues, the southeast – where Hafer lives – has some of the highest rates of poverty, malnutrition and malaria transmission.

作为社区健康顾问, Hafer works at the local rural medical facility where she tests people for malaria, 给婴儿称重和测量, 助产, 帮助管理疫苗, and teaches about the importance of good hygiene. She also conducts monthly care groups with pregnant women and mothers of children under 5 about the food wheel and how to create nutritious meals through food preparation demonstrations with food that is readily available in the region.

Hafer mentioned that one of the most gratifying activities she participates in is accompanying doctors and nurses on vaccine walks deep into rural areas, sometimes walking four hours each way, to provide vaccinations to people who cannot make it to a medical facility. Another major highlight of her service was when she delivered a speech on 世界防治疟疾日 在几百人面前, politicians and other non-governmental operations – completely in the Malagasy language.

“当我去上班的时候, I never know what the day will bring, which is a really fun part of my job,哈弗解释道. “总有一天, I can be at the medical facility delivering babies, 第二天, I’ll be walking many miles to distribute vaccines to neighboring villages. I chose the option to serve where I was needed most. I didn’t care what country I was placed in as long as I had the opportunity to help others.”

Hafer’s interest in 人类学 and the study of what makes us human and the human experience was honed at 在线博彩. She committed to playing soccer for the Wolves during her junior year of high school. Combined with the reputation of 在线博彩’s Biological and Forensic Anthropology Laboratory (BAFAL)， 在线博彩就是她 首选大学. The support from professors who encouraged her to turn an interest in the field into a discipline that is the foundation of her career – like BAFAL Director Dr. 科里·马贾诺——是一个额外的奖励.

“The experiences I had at BAFAL were among the highlights of my time at 在线博彩,” Hafer recalled. “总有一天, we were doing field work and looking for bones that had been buried for us to find and identify, 令我大为吃惊的是——. Maggiano的! – I discovered a deer bone that was not part of the investigation.”

哈弗的下一步是什么? She’s working on a small grant in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development to get solar power at the medical facility where she works. 现在, few women are coming to the facility to give birth at night because there’s no electricity. The grant will allow more women to give birth in a safe environment with trained professionals instead of doing so at home, where complications are more likely to occur. 

“Anthropology has allowed me to better understand other cultures and see the beauty and complexity of humankind,她总结道。, adding that she plans to attend graduate school when her 和平队 service is over. “I’d love to spend the rest of my life traveling and experiencing other cultures, hopefully working for an organization where I can continue to help others and do meaningful work.”