Fathima Wakeel and Michael Kramp Receive Lehigh University’s Faculty Internationalization Grant

In December, Fathima Wakeel, a College of Health Associate Professor, and Michael Kramp, Professor of English, were awarded a $4,725 Faculty Internationalization Grant to expand their work in the “Mothers of Sierra Leone” documentary project, which uses educational films to address maternal mortality in Sierra Leone. 

Faculty Internationalization Grants are awarded to Lehigh University faculty members who seek to pursue international research and teaching projects. In 2023, a total of $13,475 was awarded to five faculty members in support of three international research projects.  

“Mothers of Sierra Leone” is part of the ongoing Global Social Impact Fellowship program, in which students participate in multi-year research projects to create new cultural change and address sustainable development challenges in low-resource countries. 

In an effort to promote awareness of maternal health resources in the country, seven College of Health students, including Hannah Falatko ‘25, traveled to Sierra Leone in August for three weeks of fieldwork. During their visit, they spent time filming, interviewing, conducting focus groups, and analyzing data on the efficacy of their films.  

According to Falatko, community feedback revealed that the films have increased their trust in the healthcare system, and makes them feel more comfortable going to a clinic. The films are distributed in health clinics as well as in more rural areas.

“Our work demonstrates how complex health challenges require interdisciplinary approaches and strategies,” Kramp said. “We are not going to invent our way out of this health crisis in Sierra Leone with some new technology; we need to think across disciplinary divides to address this problem of maternal mortality.”