About the Program:

The Global Health Program offers an eight-week summer program based in Lusaka, Zambia. Students will have the opportunity to work with the Southern African Institute for Policy and Research (SAIPAR) and Lusaka based partner organizations to complete a research project on various topics related to public health and governance in Zambia. At the end of the eight-week program, students will write a research paper and present their findings to SAIPAR, partner organizations, and relevant stakeholders during a final presentation. Through our collaboration with SAIPAR, students will be equipped with the resources to meaningfully confront the realities that accompany development. 

Want to learn more?

• Watch this informational video about the program details
• Read this article on students' experiences in summer 2021.

What is unique about this program?

Students, in collaboration with their assigned partner organization, will work in small groups to develop a research topic that is both of interest to the students and contributes to the mission of the partner organization. Over the course of eight weeks, students will develop an extensive research paper and final presentation that addresses this topic. These papers will be reviewed for publication by SAIPAR as occasional papers. You can review past topics and papers on SAIPAR’s occasional paper page. 

What is unique about SAIPAR?

The Southern African Institute for Policy and Research (SAIPAR) is an independent, educational research and development-oriented research center. Through interdisciplinary research, publications, seminars, and dialogue facilitation, the Institute seeks to contribute to improved policy making, research capacity, and governance. The Institute aims to be a catalyst for new ideas and concepts on good governance and development in Zambia and Southern Africa and a documentation center to serve as an indispensable partner on research and policy analysis.

SUMMER 2022 Update: 

At this time, we are unable to confirm the format for the 2022 Global Health Summer Program in Zambia. We hope that the state of the pandemic will allow for travel next summer, but the final decision will be contingent on travel restrictions and health and safety guidelines. We are considering an in-person or virtual format. Even if we are not able to physically travel to Lusaka, we are committed to engaging students in collaborative and cross-cultural experiential learning in collaboration with the Southern African Institute for Policy and Research and Lusaka based partner organizations.

Living Arrangements (Previous Years)

During the 8-week program, the first 4-weeks students will live in-pairs with a local homestay family.  The homestay families are selected by SAIPAR and most have hosted Cornellians in the past. Students will share living quarters with one other student, share meals with their homestay family, and learn about Zambian culture and life in Lusaka. For the second 4-weeks, students will live together in a hostel near the SAIPAR campus.  Living near to the campus will facilitate the process of completing the research projects.