"In her most recent project development work, Sister Rustica and her religious community are adding a surgical center [back in her homeland of Tanzania] to help impact the birth mortality rate. With no prenatal care, the young mothers come to the clinic in labor, traveling the 65-mile muddy roads to the nearest hospital. She hopes that these resources provide the extensive care needed for patients in the community."
Rustica Kayombo, OSB, '17, '16, and 4+1 MBA graduate, returned to her native Tanzania after completing her education at Mount. St. Joseph University. She completed her undergraduate degree in 2016, and went on to earn her MBA in 2017 through MSJ's 4+1 MBA program. Sister Rustica currently supervises the construction and business of the Saint Joseph Surgery Center with Friends of Imiliwaha. The facility is part of a large complex that includes a school, vocational education, clinic, and child-care services. With few resources, deteriorated facilities and a shortage of doctors, Tanzanians struggle with equal access to healthcare.
Rustica notes how grateful she is for her Mount education, which “provided the skills to oversee these programs" back in her homeland.
“I enjoyed classes with her,” a former peer student recalls. “Sr. Rustica speaks with genuine passion of how she loves managing the construction of the building, and serving as Administrator for the business of her religious community. Her compassion, diligence, and humor, coupled with the remarkable strength she developed within her program and studies has granted her great opportunity to take what she learned at the Mount, and carry out her mission in her home overseas.”
In her most recent project development work, Rustica and her religious community are adding a surgical center to help impact the birth mortality rate. With no prenatal care, the young mothers come to the clinic in labor, traveling the 65-mile muddy roads to the nearest hospital. She hopes that these resources provide the extensive care needed for patients in the community.
The Mount commends Sr. Rustica on her development work to serve medically under-served communities through her Heart of a Lion dedication.
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