A new wave of COVID-19 infections is surging through Africa. These students want to help. - Northeastern University College of Science

The Delta variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus is cutting a swath through Africa, causing such a surge in infections that the World Health Organization declared seven days in early July “the worst pandemic week ever” on the continent. Though the absolute worst, WHO warned, is still to come.

The reverberations are being felt all the way in Boston, where Northeastern students Nita Akoh and David Femi Lamptey hope to use their new roles as president and vice president, respectively, of the Northeastern African Student Organization, to figure out how to help fellow Africans back home.

They acknowledge the challenges ahead of them, both near term as they focus efforts on the pandemic and also weigh the possibilities of expanding the scope of the club, including organizing a virtual summit this fall.

“COVID-19 is one struggle that has been hard for African governments to face because of the lack of infrastructure, the lack of hospitals, and the lack of proper equipment,” says Akoh, who is entering her fourth year studying behavioral neuroscience with a minor in international affairs.