Kelechi Amobi

Kelechi studies Molecular Biology at UCLA in the United States, with an interest in global health policy. She joined VAC in 2026 and completed a global health internship with a South African community health organization, where she gained practical experience observing births, speaking with mothers, assisting with small clinical tasks, and supporting maternal mental health and substance-use assessments.

Coming to Cape Town was the best decision I made this summer! My internship site was a perfect fit for me, and VAC made the entire experience smooth and enjoyable.

My internship solidified my decision to pursue gynecology because I was able to witness births, talk to mothers, and do small clinical tasks.

The organization provides resources to underrepresented communities that don’t have the best access to medical care or quality-of-life outcomes. They provide counseling resources and tools to help people struggling with substance abuse get their lives back on track. They also help new and continuing mothers have the resources and tools to properly care for their children while also looking out for their own mental health. I helped by assessing mothers and counseling them if they had any mental health concerns or issues with substance abuse.

I really appreciated the internship placement, weekly activities, and VAC staff support. My advice for future interns is to do your research about Observatory and Cape Town in general, have a list of things you want to do, and plan everything out. The time will go by fast.