What began as a one-time effort to help prevent malaria in Monrovia, Liberia, has grown into a larger act of service, educational partnership and global connection by Davenport University’s nursing faculty, staff and students. 

It all started a few years ago when Debbie Bosworth, Davenport’s nursing program director, invited a former colleague, Hans Giplaye, to speak to students in one of the university’s nursing leadership courses.  

Giplaye, a Liberian-born nurse, author, humanitarian, educator and advocate for the Liberian people, has a unique background, one that has impacted Davenport’s nursing program in a meaningful way. 

Giplaye survived the Liberian Civil War as a child and lived in refugee camps before immigrating to the United States. After becoming a nurse, he moved to Grand Rapids and worked at what was then Metro Health, now University of Michigan Health-West. He also founded Acare Human Services, Inc., an organization that helps address the educational, health and socioeconomic needs of people affected by war, particularly women and children in Liberia. 

During one of his early visits to Davenport, students asked Giplaye a simple but important question: “What is the most immediate need in Monrovia?”

He identified mosquito netting as a critical need because mosquito-borne illnesses, like malaria, remain a serious health concern there. Something as simple as mosquito netting can provide a practical and potentially lifesaving form of prevention.

The students responded by organizing a mosquito-net donation drive that quickly grew into something much larger. The nursing students developed a genuine interest in the Liberian people and wanted to help in a more meaningful way. In addition to mosquito netting, the nursing students collected healthcare and lab supplies, educational materials and other needed items, all of which were shipped to Monrovia. 

Today, a permanent donation table can be found on the lower level of the Academic Building, located on Davenport’s W.A. Lettinga Grand Rapids Campus. Davenport faculty, staff, students and alumni from all campus locations continue to contribute.

Bosworth explained that the ongoing program is more than a supply drive. “It encourages our nursing students to look beyond their own experiences, to listen to the priorities of another community, and recognize that service begins with cultural awareness, humility and respectful partnership.

It also ties in nicely with our Health, Education, Awareness and Leadership (HEAL) community-engagement initiative,” said Bosworth. 

The HEAL initiative, developed by Davenport’s nursing department, was created to help nursing students and the Davenport community engage in service and health-focused outreach. Bosworth said it prepares students to recognize health disparities, respond to human needs, serve communities with compassion, and lead in ways that improve lives locally and globally.

Bosworth and Giplaye’s long-term vision is to help develop a sister nursing school in Monrovia, the country’s capital and important center for healthcare, education and community development. “It would be a partnership between Davenport and the Monrovia nursing school that encourages shared learning, faculty and student collaboration, professional development, resource sharing and mutual support,” said Bosworth. 

While a sister school in Monrovia has not yet been established, Giplaye is working to move accreditation, curriculum and planning efforts forward.  

He also returns to Davenport often to speak to nursing students. “Every time Hans speaks to our students about Liberia, they learn from his experiences and better understand how culture, history, resources and community priorities influence health and healthcare, and how they can be involved in a meaningful humanitarian effort,” said Bosworth. 

She is thankful for the entire Davenport community for supporting the initiative, especially Amy Stahley, Ph.D., Davenport’s dean of the College of Health Professions. “Dr. Stahley has fully embraced our vision and has continued to champion the donation initiative, recognizing its value in advancing cultural humility, global awareness, compassionate service and nursing leadership among Davenport students,” said Bosworth. 

It’s remarkable that what started as a mosquito net collection has grown into a broader dream for Davenport’s nursing program, one that includes year-round support and the possibility of establishing a nursing school, all of which will have lasting impacts for years to come.

According to Giplaye, the partnership between Acare Human Services, Inc. and Davenport to bring mosquito nets to Liberia has resulted in a high-impact, cost-effective prevention tool to help combat the country’s malaria epidemic. “The mosquito nets help safeguard not only individuals but entire communities by lowering infection rates and preventing needless loss of life,” he said. “The result is a stronger, healthier population capable of building a more resilient future and uplifting families and villages across Liberia,” he said. 

“The program is a wonderful example of what can happen when education, awareness and compassionate action come together,” Bosworth said. “It is still a vision in progress, but it is one that continues to grow because of the continued support by the Davenport community.”