Bringing Health to His Homeland

The hopes of a Nigerian tribe stand behind him.

While most students attend college to prepare for their careers, Tafarki, 23, is under more pressure. After he receives his doctorate of pharmacy degree, he plans to return to Nigeria to help his tribe, Kurama, advance its medical system.

Tafarki first came to the United States four years ago when village elders chose him to make the journey overseas. Their selection was based predominately on his involvement with foreign affairs, his family's status in the village and his previous education.

"It was the decision of our people that I should go, and I couldn't say no," he said.

The Kurama tribe is located in the village of Yarkasuwa, where the infant mortality rates are high and pre- and postnatal care is scarce amid a climate of political and religious strife. The tribe's only health care workers are missionaries equipped with first-aid kits and Tylenol.

With this in mind, Tafarki came to America to get involved in the medical field. After studying at Barber-Scotia College and Winthrop University, he decided to pursue a degree at UNC.

"With a doctor of pharmacy degree, I would be able to do the things a doctor could. ... I would be more involved in the overall well-being of the patients," he said.

Tafarki chose a school in the Triangle because of its nearby pharmaceutical companies and their focus on drug compounding. "I want to learn how to compound drugs and go home and make them so that they can save the lives of our people," he said.

Second-year pharmacy student Amy Wiley said this mind-set is typical of Tafarki. "He's always thinking of helping others rather than himself," she said. "Unlike many people, he is ready to get his degree and go back home to help his country."

Tafarki has shown his leadership skills and willingness to serve from a young age. At 13, he was elected to represent his country at a Catholic youth convention in Poland. Tafarki said the experience helped him deal with his country's religious conflicts.

Tafarki's experiences also allowed him to meet dignitaries. "My first direct contact with an American was in Poland with a bishop in 1991, when I went there to meet the pope," he said.

Tafarki continues to practice leadership as the president of first-year pharmacy students at UNC, a responsibility that keeps him busy taking care of the concerns of his fellow students.

"When I first came to UNC, I didn't plan to run for class president, but I knew people wanted to feel like they belonged," he said. "So I felt I should get involved with the class and find people with a vision."

Tafarki extends this vision of unity to involvement within the UNC community as a member of Organization for African Student Interests and Solidarity, which aims to educate Americans about issues in Africa and other various groups.

Tafarki said his involvement at UNC has led him to develop strong feelings for the Unites States. "America has given me more than my own country has given to me -- freedom," he said.

But living in America also has helped Tafarki realize how much his people need his help -- not only in his home country but on an international scale. "My main pride is our people. ... But the vision I have is not only for our people but for the world."

Tafarki said he hopes to develop relationships with his fellow students and ask some of them to help him set up a clinic in his village.

"For those of us that are educated, we are constantly finding ways to tell our people that there is hope," Tafarki said. "It is our responsibility to find a way where none exists."

The Features Editor can be reached at features@unc.edu.