IMPACT TB intern Rafaely Costa tells us about her time in Nepal with BNMT

Rafaely Costa, from Recife in Brazil, completed an internship with BNMT Nepal in September 2019 after 6 weeks traveling around the country assisting IMPACT TB Health Economist, Dr Noemia Siqueira, with the quality assessment of the data set. On her return to Brazil, she sent this message to thank the IMPACT TB team in Nepal for this invaluable experience:

< A few months ago I would never have imagined that I would have such an incredible experience in Nepal. It really was an unexpected but pleasant surprise. Fortunately my paths crossed with Dr. Noemia Siqueira during the IMPACT TB dissemination seminars in Brazil. Noemia was so passionate about the project, BNMT and about Nepal in general. She spread that passion throughout the audience, myself included! Since then, I kept thinking about the project, about BNMT, reading both websites, twitter accounts and searching for related subjects. I couldn’t get it off my mind. That was when I decided to contact Noemia and see if there was any possibility of an internship. After
discussions and arrangements with Dr. Maxine Caws and Noemia, I arrived in Nepal in August.

It seems like the stars aligned for me to go there and the experience was a very special gift. During this short time I have learnt a lot about the technical aspects of TB research, data analysis, project design and of course the importance of establishing partnerships and collaborations. But I also learned about commitment, team work, hard work, kindness and respect. Each member of the BNMT team has plenty of reasons to be extremely proud of themselves and I hope they are all aware of the excellence and relevance of their jobs for the Nepalese population, as well as for the global scientific community. I have no words to express how grateful I am for the opportunity to meet and work with such brilliant people. I hope it is just the beginning of a fruitful partnership! A few days before my arrival in Nepal, I read a quote saying: “You first come to Nepal for the mountains, and then you return for the people”. I have seen at first hand how true it is! >

Thank you Rafaely for your input and support over the past few weeks and hopefully we can work together again in the future!