/blog en ashley@globemed.org Copyright 2010 2010-02-07T06:46:00-06:00 http://www.globemed.org/blog/la-raan/ http://www.globemed.org/blog/la-raan/#When:06:46:00Z Two weeks ago Rachel and I traveled to a city called Siuna to learn more about the work Salud Sin Limite is doing in La RAAN. La RAAN, the North Atlantic Autonomous region, has a fascinating history full of the detrimental influences of colonialism (the Atlantic coast was colonized by England, whereas the Pacific coast was colonized by Spain), conflict between indigenous and non-indigenous groups, a strong presence of Sandinistas (though it seems like everyone in Ortega's Nicaragua is a Sandinista...or at least they say they are), and the extraction of natural resources by foreign interests in spite of laws against such practice (Costa Rica, Canada, and our very own U.S. of A. seem to circumvent their own stringent environmental laws by extracting resources from the Bosawas reserve, where laws exist, but aren't well enforced). This video explains a little more about Siuna and the work of Salud Sin Limite. Frazzled by the sound of the arriving plane behind me and trying to translate from Spanish (¨jovenes promotores¨) to English, I left out some statistics and information that may help put things in perspective: Siuna has a total population of around 80,000 people (20% of whom live in the one main city and 80% in the surrounding 140 rural communities). The one private ambulance you see for a moment in the video is meant to attend to this entire population. Salud Sin Limite´s main project is working with both urban and rural primary and secondary students to train them as health promoters for their communities. The health promoters share the knowledge they learn from health ¨tecnicos¨ with children and parents in their community and sometimes travel to other communities to train new health promoters. The current theme of the health promoters ¨charlas¨, or health talks, is sexual health and reproductive rights. The health promoters of the urban center of Siuna have also been developing health-focused radionovelas. Check out their program on Sunday at 2pm central time here! Partner Search Fellows 2010-02-07T06:46:00-06:00 http://www.globemed.org/blog/this-country-is-not-my-playground/ http://www.globemed.org/blog/this-country-is-not-my-playground/#When:18:14:00Z During our time in Nicaragua, I have been encouraged by many of the relationships that I have observed between dedicated foreign workers and their equally dedicated Nicaraguan counter-parts (of our recent meetings, Salud Sin Limite, JHC-CDCA, and Fabretto Children‘s Foundation seem to be good examples). These and other organizations seem to work with the same sense of "pragmatic solidarity" with which GlobeMed chapters hope to work in their own partnerships. In some cases, however, the focus of foreign workers seems to be solely on the projects and ideas of the foreign workers, with little or no attention being paid by the foreign workers to the long-term impact of their projects on the communities or the continuation of those projects after the foreign workers have left. The experience and goals of the foreign worker seem to be elevated to a level of ultimate importance. As we continue to meet organizations that may partner with one of our new GlobeMed chapters (establishing a new transnational relationship), these observations bring up lots of questions. What is the effect of the presence of foreign workers? How can one work most responsibly and productively in an international setting? What sort of collaboration is truly best and most effective for doing "good work" - direct presence/staff, hands-off fund contribution, or other hybrid forms (like GlobeMed's approach, which includes the potential for fundraising, collaborative resource generation, and direct on-site work)? What climate is ideal for any of these types of involvement? When do foreign workers do more harm then good, and what are the implications of their actions for future foreign workers? How can one truly work in "pragmatic solidarity"? Though my conclusions continue to form and evolve as we meet different people, the one sentiment that has continued to reverberate in my mind is this: this country is not my playground. That reverberation has manifested itself for me in poem form. If you do not wish to read my attempt at free form poetry, do not read further. But please, PLEASE comment. I would love to continue grappling with your thoughts as well as my own. This country is not my playgroundIt is not for me to frolic about‘Experiencing' amazing thingsWith no regard for my statusAs a visitor. As a guest.This country is not my playgroundI may not hug the ‘precious' childrenWithout considering how their hunger, their sicknessIs related to my presenceAffected by the history that follows my personAnd is considered by everyoneAs I walk by.This country is not my playgroundIt is not for me to leap forwardGuns blazingReady to tackle the "issues"As clearly only I canWithout stopping to seeAll the "issue"-tackling that is already occurringBy those far more qualified to do soBy those who know their communitiesWhose passion and work is far more awe-inspiringThan anything I could possibly doI am privileged to listen, to learn, to hopeThat by working hand-in-hand with thoseWhose work will continue long after I am goneI can add-on, I can support, and I can developA relationship born out of mutually-held ideas and values,Encased in a sense of solidarity.And if we play, we must play togetherTo learn each others' gamesFor this country is not my playground.- Rachel Berkowitz  Partner Search Fellows 2010-02-04T18:14:00-06:00 http://www.globemed.org/blog/globemed-stands-with-haiti/ http://www.globemed.org/blog/globemed-stands-with-haiti/#When:19:16:01Z The GlobeMed Network is standing with the people of Haiti in the wake of the devastating earthquake on January 12th. GlobeMed chapters and students across the country are supporting the efforts of Partners In Health to provide much needed emergency care to those injured in the earthquake while at the same time gearing up for the long-term task of treating the sick and building back better. Students are holding fundraisers, organizing educational events, and engaging their administrations in leveraging university resources for those affected in this tragedy. GlobeMed students at Northwestern University and Rhodes College have emailed and met with their university presidents to coordinate meaningful responses. GlobeMed students at Barnard College have been working with their student government to educate students on the underlying causes of the disaster. GlobeMed students at University of Colorado-Boulder organized other student groups to plan fundraising events for Partners In Health's work in Haiti. In addition, dedicated student volunteers at the GlobeMed National Office have been advising students at universities where GlobeMed chapters are not present on how to coordinate efforts and mobilize their campuses to support Partners In Health. Please consider supporting the work of Partners In Health through:Donating to PIHCreating a fundraising page for yourself, your university, or your organizationEmailing students@pih.org for advising and guidance on hosting events and supporting the work of PIH 2010-01-29T19:16:01-06:00 http://www.globemed.org/blog/were-moving-to-nagarote/ http://www.globemed.org/blog/were-moving-to-nagarote/#When:16:10:00Z After spending a relaxing weekend in the colonial town of Leon (formally the liberal capital of Nicaragua) and attending a very sweaty mass in the largest cathedral in Central America, we traveled on a repossessed yellow school bus to the cleanest city in Nicaragua: Nagarote.  Nationally known for its quesillos, of which we were culinarily underwhelmed, Nagarote is a pleasantly walkable city where people sit on their porches and enjoy the cool night breeze.  It´s a place where, as people pass each other on the street, instead of saying ´´hello´´ they say ´´goodbye´´ (You say goodbye, I say hello).  The people we met there seem immensely proud of their city.  Jose Angel, the local librarian and notorious chatterbox, detained us for 30 minutes describing the important sites in Nagarote and showing us the programs and resources of the library itself.  He neglected to mention the permanent sidewalk art, which immortalizes the images of Mickey Mouse, Porky Pig, and the Chrysler symbol in front of the city´s largest church. The organizations and people we met were very inspiring.  Ramon, from Norwalk-Nagarote Sister City Project took us under his wing showing us the ropes of Sister City´s youth programs.   We were introduced to Javier and his organic farming initiative as well as an unidentified, very friendly marsupial.  We had a rousing discussion about social movements, gender roles and the power of student voices with Yeroslavi and Evelyn from Inti-Pachamama.  Over pasta and a Nica chicken tamale we debated feminism and double standards with Roberto Jr, the owner of the hostel where we stayed.  And we learned about the scope of MinSa´s (Ministerio de Salud) health structure in Nagarote from Angelica Blanco and Silvia at the local clinica. We beat the heat by playing our harmonicas late into the night—much to the chagrin of the hostel dogs (see video here).  We were sad to return to Managua, but are excited for this week´s meetings and next week´s trip to La RAAN. Abrazote! Partner Search Fellows 2010-01-26T16:10:00-06:00 http://www.globemed.org/blog/amos-site-visit/ http://www.globemed.org/blog/amos-site-visit/#When:05:55:00Z On our fourth day in Nicaragua Rachel and I had the opportunity to go with Dr. Laura Parajon and Rosita (AMOS´ head nurse) to visit El Coyol, a community about 2 hours outside of Managua.  Only now (8 days later) have we found an internet connection stong enough to upload the video. Check it out! 2010-01-22T05:55:00-06:00 http://www.globemed.org/blog/globe/ http://www.globemed.org/blog/globe/#When:04:17:00Z Across the country, GlobeMed chapters are mobilizing to raise funds and awareness for earthquake-stricken Haiti. GlobeMed at Columbia was highlighted today in a Columbia Spectator Article for their efforts to unite student group and to advocate for Partners in Health. Universities can create their own personal fundraising pages through the Partners In Health website here to track their progress. 2010-01-22T04:17:00-06:00 http://www.globemed.org/blog/la-chureca/ http://www.globemed.org/blog/la-chureca/#When:03:58:00Z Writing about poverty is not something I am comfortable doing. It feels impossible to figure out the right way to explain what I saw from the back seat of an air-conditioned, locked car and know that the way I express these experiences will be understood in the way that I intend them to be. That what I write and what you read is an opportunity for learning and not voyeurism. Parece que esto es el riesgo de compartir unos pensamientos en el internet para que todo el mundo pueda ver. Monday afternoon after visiting two of the Fabretto sites in Managua, Mike (the NU grad who's been working with Febretto for 2.5 years) took us for a short ride into La Chureca- literally "the dump". As we came within a few blocks distance of the entrance our Nicaraguan driver, Roger, asked us to please lock our doors. What was to come was something I had read about before, but never allowed myself to envision. The scenery as we entered La Chureca rapidly changed from the paved main road where people purchase cars from the Toyota dealership on the corner for $15,000 to a dirt road covered with decaying trash. A group of men, who I later learned were most likely the second or third tier pickers who would buy the plastic bags, bottles, aluminum and newspaper from those immediately below them in the social hierarchy of the dump, stood to the side of the road as we coasted in. As the car cleared the high walls that separate La Chureca from the city, we saw a corridor of road completely swell with smoke as the trash beneath burned in violent orange flames. Turning the corner away from the fire we saw a few standing homes, the most protective one covered in corrugated metal. A girl of elementary school age stood on the edge of the road, bent over sifting through the endless pile of trash. She lifted her head for a moment to see us pass by, but quickly returned to the task at hand, not staring at "las gringas" or flashing a nervous smile as every other Nicaraguan has done upon seeing my pale white face. From where our car stood on the top of a hill we could see black birds swarming above through more clouds of thick smoke. Further in the distance laid the lake that Maryulin, the director of the Fabretto site called NicaHope, had told us about. The lake, she said, in which the people of La Chureca wash their clothes, wash their bodies, fill their pots and fill their bottles and the lake from which they get skin rashes and stomach diseases because of its contamination. Around the lake lie mountains of trash in which Maryulin told us the hospital used to dispose its hazardous waste--waste that included needles used on HIV positive patients. Needles which would pinch the skin of the children poking around for trash to sell. According to Martin, Donald and Roberto (three of the men who work for AMOS and are Managuenses), there are around 20 houses in a small pueblito inside La Chureca. No one seems to know the real size of the place (wikipedia may disagree), but when I asked Donald how big the whole thing was he replied, "es bien inmenso". He says he's heard La Chureca has grown 30% in 10 years. What the Managuenses do know is that there are different family gangs, or pandilleras, that govern parts of the dump and to a certain degree act as informal "trash lords" over the people picking on their plots. The men told me the residents sift through the piles of trash with three pronged rakes, the metal edges of which are sharpened to a dangerous point. When a dispute over ownership of a prime piece of trash emerges, often times the debate is settled as these garbage-picking tools quickly become weapons. The prime pieces of material for which the pickers search is anything that may eventually be sold to a recycling company. First a picker will find the plastic, metal, or paper and sell it to another Chureca resident. That next person will then clean the material and sell it to a third person. That third person might then be the one to sell the material to a recycling company. According to Martin, these stages aren't so much a production chain, but more likely levels of exploitation. (If one wishes to not be "oppressed" he must then become an "oppressor", right Freire?)When I asked Martin, Donald and Roberto if the government has tried to do anything about La Chureca they told me that it had planned to reroute Managua's garbage to a site farther away from the city to destroy the accessibility of such a market for recycled trash. However, when reporters went in to the dump to ask residents how they felt about the plan they made it clear they would not be happy. For fear of what the pickers and pandilleras might do, the government abandoned the plan entirely. When I asked if NGOs are attempting anything in spite of the government's dismissal, they told me there are a few organizations that donate food and clothing to the families including NicaHope which maintains a school, specialty classes and a jewelry making income generating project and Febretto which provides a school lunch program in conjunction with NicaHope at the Chureca school. Being in La Chureca and learning about its horrific legacy through the people who seem to live in fear, awe and perhaps embarrassment of it has been a very difficult thing to process. Rachel and I have had hours of conversations about the immensity of what we've seen in the five days we've been here. The proximity of destitution to luxury is astounding and I am constantly uncomfortable knowing and feeling that everyone who can see the color of my skin sees my privilege.If you are interested in donating, please do so to the NicaHope project of Fabreto Children's Foundation. Even a small donation of $10 or $15 goes a long way toward helping these organizations continue to provide opportunities for children living in La Chureca to gain access to an education, income generating projects, and nutritious lunches.If you are interested in learning more about" churecas," read the Mexico City chapters of The Heart that Bleeds, by Alma Guiermopieto. This post is #3 of an ongoing series for the GlobeMed Partner Search Fellows Program, through which GlobeMed's two PSFP Fellows, Rachel Berkowitz and Hannah Robbins, aim to build partnerships between GlobeMed and 15 new community-based health NGOs in Central and South America. These posts will help us follow their journey, as Rachel and Hannah help GlobeMed expand to new university chapters and community-based partners this coming year. To read the entire series of blog posts, click here. Partner Search Fellows 2010-01-16T03:58:00-06:00 http://www.globemed.org/blog/malls-meetings-and-musings/ http://www.globemed.org/blog/malls-meetings-and-musings/#When:03:53:00Z  I don't know what exactly I should write about. Not because there aren't a million things to potentially discuss...more that so much has happened in a mere 5 days, and the nature of our work (hopping around, having met over 30 people--Hannah is keeping track--, many of whom we may not encounter again during our trip) provides us with so many experiences to process all at once. But I wanted to post, because the number of people and experiences will continue to pile up. So here we go.SEGWAY: The past 5 days have been a genuine roller coaster of emotions and moods. And to prove that to you, I will use my emotions to highlight some of my experiences (see? Isn't that a clever way to organize things? Yea...hopefully it won't be too painful for you J )  Unsettled:Our arrival in Nicaragua and quick shuttling off to a nice hotel, followed by drinks with some very friendly, engaging Nicas who were either visiting or were permanent residents of Nicaragua, having returned after having fled with their families during the Contra conflict in the 1980s. They took us, along with Mike, the NU alum who works for Fabretto Children's Foundation, away from our nice hotel and out for dinner and drinks at a mall (La Galleria) that trumps most of the malls I have seen in the States. My thought: where am I again?Questioning: What does it meant to have a fancy mall and Central America's largest dump in the same departamento (check out Hannah's awesome blog post for more on La Chureca)? Is unequally distributed "progress" any progress at all? (And how should progress be defined, in dollars gained or in humanity realized?)  Frustrated: I wish I had learned more about Nicaragua before coming here. For those of you who may also find themselves wanting to learn a bit more about the 2nd most impoverished country in Latin America and the Caribbean, US involvement here has been...interesting. Even had an American President for a spell. Also, in 1972, a massive earthquake killed 10,000 people and crushed the city of Managua, leaving many buildings in ruin and, according to Martin, an AMOS staff member, necessitating the directional system of addresses here (an address will literally begin with something like "De donde fue el arbolito"--"From where the tree was") Particularly relevant in the wake of Haiti's horrific earthquakejust days ago (click here to donate to the cause).  Pumped about the potential for cross-cultural, multi-national collaboration even on a small scale: Fabretto Children's Foundationand AMOS(the current partner of GlobeMed at Rhodes College) both maintain Nicaraguan and non-Nicaraguan staff and seem to really work with and for their communities--just the sort of solidarity we always speak about in GlobeMed. Of course, our times with each of these organizations has been very brief...but it made me feel pumped all the same.  Frustrated again: I wish my Spanish were better. You miss so much when you can't fully understand what is being said. Continuing to practice and learn, though...  Relieved: I'm glad that some language is universal--no mater where you are, a silly face sems to often be able to make a child giggle,  Questioning again: We attended a meeting about the project Creando Nuevas Empresas en Nicaraguawhich involved, among other organizations, USAID Nicaragua and Agora Partnerships. Agora supports and consults with burgeoning entrepreneurs in Nicaragua, using job creation as a tool for alleviating poverty. Hannah and I discussed during and after the event (and continue to discuss) the pros and cons of continuing to push forward into the open market global economy as it exists today. Who is doing the pushing, who is being pushed, and how do people on both sides feel about that sort of relationship? To what end? What is "enough"? Would infusing some more "socialistic" support be better? Worse/ Possible? (these are incredibly vague, open-ended questions and will continue to be fertile soil for our growing thoughts...please contribute your perspective!)  Unsettled again: AMOS, where we are currently staying, is somewhat isolated, and we were discouraged from wandering about at night. When we returned from the Agora meeting yesterday, it was getting dark, we were hungry. So...we ordered a veggie pizza from Pizza Hut. Again, where am I? But it was also tasty...so unsettled but full is probably more accurate.  Awed: The drive with AMOS to and from their site in El Coyol in San Jose de los Remates was absolutely breathtakingly green and mountainous, as is the view from AMOS. Similarly, the Volcan Masaya was gorgeous (as you can see here)...though sulfur smells disgusting.  That concludes this edition of "emotions and moods of Rachel." We travel to Leon this weekend, and then on to Nagarote for some more potential partner visits. I have no real conclusions to draw from anything yet, just thoughts (clearly)...I am sure our next bit of traveling will present me with more subjects on which to ponder. Please leave some comments and thoughts of your own! Till next time...   This post is #2 of an ongoing series for the GlobeMed Partner Search Fellows Program, through which GlobeMed's two PSFP Fellows, Rachel Berkowitz and Hannah Robbins, aim to build partnerships between GlobeMed and 15 new community-based health NGOs in Central and South America. These posts will help us follow their journey, as Rachel and Hannah help GlobeMed expand to new university chapters and community-based partners this coming year. To read the entire series of blog posts, click here.  Partner Search Fellows 2010-01-16T03:53:00-06:00 http://www.globemed.org/blog/weve-arrived/ http://www.globemed.org/blog/weve-arrived/#When:01:07:00Z We've arrived! We're in Nicaragua, the largest and least densely populated country in Cental America! For our first week we'll be staying in Nicaragua's capital, Managua ("the daughter of war" annnnd "city of peace", as well as "the land of no addessess", according to the Lonely Planet). While the land itself is beautiful, Managua hails few tourist attractions. The city doesn't seem to have a real center, but people have been very friendly as we've wandered around figuring out that fact. If you look at a map you'll find Nicaragua is bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country itself is broken up into 15 departamentos and 2 "autonomous regions" (when we asked about these regions people in Managua didn't seem to think there's anything autonomous about them). We'll be spending our time searching for partners in the departamentos de Managua (western side), Matagalpa (north central), and la RAAN (autonomous region to the northeast)--a series of journeys promising to be full of long bus rides, interesting conversations with community health workers, and sunburns (at least for Hannah). For more updates about what we've been up to, check out the video on Youtube! This post is #1 of an ongoing series for the GlobeMed Partner Search Fellows Program, through which GlobeMed's two PSFP Fellows, Rachel Berkowitz and Hannah Robbins, aim to build partnerships between GlobeMed and 15 new community-based health NGOs in Central and South America. These posts will help us follow their journey, as Rachel and Hannah help GlobeMed expand to new university chapters and community-based partners this coming year. To read the entire series of blog posts, click here.  2010-01-11T01:07:00-06:00 http://www.globemed.org/blog/one-last-post-from-me-before-we-head-outand-i-am-really-really-excited/ http://www.globemed.org/blog/one-last-post-from-me-before-we-head-outand-i-am-really-really-excited/#When:20:21:00Z  That's an understatement. The nerves of the past week have been overtaken by a sense of purpose, the feeling that we really have done all we could to be safe, smart, and responsible as we head out to country number 1, Nicaragua, and just...looking forward to all the experiences we have yet to have and the people we have yet to meet. I'm still nervous, of course--one would be foolish to not be nervous and cautious--but seriously, I'm pumped. Having crammed my life for the next 4 months into a hiking backpack and a shoulder bag, I feel remarkably light and portable. For the next 4 months, the only constants for Hannah and I will be each other, our supplies, and our goals for the trip. And I do not know who I will be when I step off the plane in Miami 4 months from now. I don't know how or whether my perspectives on community-based work, cross-cultural collaboration, global health, GlobeMed--life, really--will have evolved, shifted, completely flipped. I don't know what barriers and challenges we will face. But the liberating thing is that we don't have to know that now. The only thing to do now is to go and do it, keeping our minds open, flexible, and curious. I feel like a stone that has been rolled up to the very top of a hill, gathering potential energy and humming with the anticipation of being let go. Please pardon my bad simile...it's accurate, though a tad corny, I'll admit. Clearly, no moss will be gathering on these stones! I will miss my friends and family while I am away, and their unwavering support has been and will continue to be a vital part of my ability to do this kind of trip. But I feel that I am really ready to begin this journey--that WE are ready to begin this journey. And so with GlobeMed love in our hearts, we go. We will be updating (hopefully with videos and pictures too), so stay tuned! Partner Search Fellows 2010-01-08T20:21:00-06:00