Missing Opportunities

My first attendance to Women's Economic Agenda Project (WEAP) Training left me feeling nauseous, for one reason. Andy Lopez. He is a 13 year old boy, who got shot in Santa Rosa by a Sonoma County police officer for carrying a toy gun.

When this story came up, a woman at the training site raised her hand to speak. And, this story made me feel uneasy for the rest of the training session.

According to her story, a police officer approached a Latino person to take off his shirt and intimidated him because he was wearing a campaign shirt for Andy Lopez at a shopping mall. Someone in the surrounding crowd called a lawyer for help, so the lawyer appeared in the same shirt. Even before the lawyer approached the police officer to argue for the constitutional rights that questions the behaviors of the officer, the officer did not attempt to approach the lawyer. It was not because he was a lawyer; the officer did not know of the status. But, it was for another reason. The lawyer was a white male.

Racial inequality and poverty were issues that had ubiquitously appeared in the media and academic articles. Among the articles, the "Equity" section of "Deeping Democracy: Innovations in Empowered Participatory Governance," by Archon Fung and Erik Olin Wright, states that to make
public action more effective, there must be an inclusion of disadvantaged individuals. However, the society seems to prefer keeping the disadvantaged individuals muted. With such silence, any public actions would not succeed in its deliberative process.

So many campaigns are being carried out for the tragedy of Andy Lopez. However, I am not entirely sure of the direction of these campaigns. These protestants are deprived of opportunities to make their voices heard, like how Andy Lopez was not given a chance to speak for himself. 

True "Filipino Horror Story"

You might want to read this first :) Filipino Horror Story

What drew me to this article a long time ago was the title. Back when I was in sixth grade, there was this mini-horror book series that almost everyone read and even though I wasn’t a fan of horror books, I remember reading a few and okay fine having one or two nightmares after. Relevance now. I found this piece while browsing through the online Young Blood editorial column of The Philippine Daily Inquirer last year. I been read a lot of Young Blood editorials when I was in grade school and I don't quiet remember having encountered horror stories then so when I saw the title of the article, I was intrigued and immediately read through the piece…

There are at least two things I want to share with regards to this piece. Let’s start with the obvious, what is explicitly being said by the author: what is IN the picture.

Well… the piece is a story about a family’s struggle, particularly a mother’s struggle, to save her son who is dying from tuberculosis and pneumonia. It is a story of a family resorting to alternative measures, such as “hilot” (in Filipino, an art of healing that either involves relaxing of muscles, like massage, or shamanic spiritual rituals) and borrowing money from the loan shark due to lack of money to get him proper healthcare. It is a story of neglect, as the nurses turned them down telling them “the quota of 60 patients per day has been filled.” It is a story of poverty; about a fight for survival, and a battle for a life that was unnecessarily lost in the end to infections that could have been cured had it been treated early.

However, as much as this piece is a story of poverty and the battles of the poor for healthcare support, it is also a story of the middle class (perhaps the rich too), particularly those involved in the healthcare system. Which brings me to the second point I want to share. That is, what the author is implicitly saying: what is NOT in the picture. For it is indeed true, sometimes what is missing tells us just as much as what is present. 

In this case, what is NOT in the picture is government. Yet the consequences of their absence are written throughout the article. Not just through the struggles of the poor, but through the struggles of those involved in healthcare system as well. Needless to say, this particular piece is then also a story about the efforts of those working in the healthcare system. It is the story of nurses, doctors, and health social workers who are unable to fully execute their responsibilities because of lack of healthcare funding, to the extent that they sometimes secretly raise funds or use money from their own pockets to aid their patients. But these are middle class (sometimes lower middle class) workers too (or at least most of them from what I know), they are not paid enough, they do not even have any worker benefits, and they have their own family to take care of.

Such are (some of) the problems in the healthcare system in the Philippines. And indeed, perhaps, for some this article may be a little too melodramatic---romanticized (if I may use Professor Roy’s term)---but the thing about romanticizing is that it also speaks truth. And in this case, the truth is that this is reality for most people in the Philippines; the true Filipino horror story.

Living on $1 Per Day in Guatemala

Two American students, Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci, gave a TEDx Talk in Buenos Aires in 2011 about a personal experiment they had experienced: living as billions of impoverished do--on $1 per day for 2 months in the highlands of Guatemala.



Temple and Ingrasci simulated the income, as well as the unpredictability of its arrival, for those in extreme poverty, and they came to three conclusions about how the poor manage their money:

1. The poor are active money managers. There is a belief that the poor live hand-to-mouth daily, but they plan for the future constantly and mentally, as money is always on their mind.

2. The poor use many different tools in order to sustain themselves, including loaning to and from neighbors, creating their own businesses, and starting savings clubs.

3. The poor are willing to pay for flexibility and reliability.

Therefore, Temple and Ingrasci champion microfinance as the solution out of poverty. They argue that a more formalized institution, rather than borrowing from and relying upon neighbors and friends, is a more secure investment, despite having to pay interest. I would assert that this concern has some validity, as neighbors and friends often will go through hardships simultaneously, for example, natural disaster, drought, disease, and other community-wide problems. The source of cash flow would dry up all at the same time for a single community, so a system that is independent of the conditions of a small region would be more secure.

Furthermore, Temple and Ingrasci created a documentary about the 2 months they spent in Guatemala to show the hardships they experienced: hunger, disease, fatigue, and stress. They wanted to create motivation for not only themselves, but for other young people, who followed their experience for 2 months via video and blogging. I think their decision to live under and meticulously document conditions of extreme poverty for 56 days brings a sense of meaning and understanding associated with what it truly means to be fighting for survival. I believe it is important to stop and remember why we, as GPP minors, want to engage in solving poverty worldwide.

Helping, Fixing, or Serving?

"Fixing and helping create a distance between people, but we cannot serve at a distance.  We can only serve that to which we are profoundly connected."

In GPP 115, I was introduced to the term "Voluntourism."  At first, I dismissed that this term would ever apply to me, thinking that I more invested in my minor than those "resume builders."  Nevertheless, that topic made me think about my role and impact in my Practice Experience.  Would I be doing more harm than good, or would I be that privileged person who imposes herself on the community I try to help? 

After reading Talwalker's "What Kind of Global Citizen is the Student Volunteer?" and participating in this week’s discussion, I have begun to think more critically about my intentions.

However, when I think about it, everyone’s intentions are different.  While listening to everyone, I noticed that no one’s thoughts toward their practice experience were the same.  Some thought that the selfishness to want to change the world was necessary, while others thought that it was impossible to make a difference in the world.  I, on the other hand, was afraid of speaking up because of the fear of saying the wrong answer.  By taking courses such as GPP, were we further separating ourselves from the communities we try to help?  By wanting to make a difference, were imposing our desires negatively on others?  

To me, I wanted to do my practice experience because I thought of it as a two-way street.  While I was contributing my knowledge and resources to the community, the community was teaching me about myself and its culture.  Maybe that thought was too idealistic to others, but it was what I believed in.  I realized that our ideas were so different, that maybe it is not our intentions that we have to be wary of, but our approach.  This reminded me of a article I read while participating in the Public Service Center.    

Rachel Naomi Remen's article, "Helping, Fixing, or Serving?" talks about three different approaches: Helping, Fixing, and Serving.  

"When we help, we become aware of our own strength.  But when we serve, we don't serve with our strength; we serve with ourselves, and we draw from all of our experiences...Service is a relationship between equals: our service strengthens us as well as others.  Fixing and helping are draining, and over time we may burn out, but service is renewing."  

Our time at our practice experience is short, and therefore there is a low chance that we will make a lasting contribution to the communities we seek to impact.  Even if our practice experiences were longer, we do not have the extensive knowledge about our sectors, nor do we have firsthand experience on the inequalities that are there.  In discussion, Professor Talwalker talked about a student who came back with cynicism because the locals refused to accept his “better” situation.  Seeking to help or fix a situation will only lead to burning out and cynicism.  Doing so is imposing one’s “better” education on the community.  Maybe it isn’t our education and knowledge that will impact our communities, but our humanity—our desire to learn their culture and work with them hand-in-hand to find a solution together. 

“Service is not an experience of strength of expertise; service is an experience of mystery, surrender and awe.  Helpers and fixers feel causal.”     

U.S. Electrification "Partnershiph" with Tanzania

While browsing NPR, I came upon this audio news recording titled "Obama Promises Billions to Double Africa's Electricity Access" (listen here: http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=197713640&m=197713651). Since my practice experience this summer will be with the Maasai Women's Development Organisation health clinic, I thought that this provoked many questions, especially since my organization serves the distant pastoral villages in Northern Tanzania.

Quite simply, Obama's campaign called "Power Africa" aims to invest $7 billion dollars to Africa in order to increase local's and businesses access to electricity, and to ultimately unleash Africa's economic potential. The reasons offered by NPR's Greg Warner are the following: 1) the "tremendous need in Africa" for street lights, keeping medicines cold, etc, 2) an advantage for the U.S. economy as the administration sees Africa as an untapped resource for businesses, and 3) to encourage green technology to be tried and implemented for clean power.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love electricity. I love being able to study on my laptop at night and have the leisure to learn about international conditions at the click of a button; to be able to connect to internet; charge my phone; use light when cooking; and everything else. And I do believe that anyone anywhere can benefit from electricity if they choose, especially entire economies in terms of the marginal increase in the possibilities for entrepreneurs and increasing internal businesses. But, just like any technology being introduced, how will this be received? How will locals feel about having to pay a utility bill for the first time? Do they even want it? Will they have a choice? What locations will be selected for electrification? Will the neglected/outskirting regions all over Africa be reached? Whether or not the concept of electrification is going to be a positive change (short and long run) can be debated by African politicians and locals, U.S. tax payers, businesses, and even students.

What I am curious to know, is which U.S. entities have an interest in this, and to whose benefit? According to Obama, this is not charity. This is business. Whose business? Well, $7 billion will be coming from the U.S. government and $9 billion will be from the private sector. The private sector including big names like General Electric and even smaller U.S. companies, all in the hope that they can expand their businesses and make money investing in Africa by including it in the global economy. The idea of imperialism is hard to avoid as I wonder how these businesses will be conducted, and if African countries' benefits will be converted to positive action to improvement or to embezzlement/corruption. Transnational business will undoubtedly seek to exploit local employees to maximize profits. So who is going to regulate conduct and actually enforce it? Will these businesses moving result in shared fortune? Or will the margin of inequality widen?

Providing Water to Underserved Communities in Chiapas Mexico

As my inaugural post, I think I want to share a little bit on my specific practice experience. While Mexico has experienced dramatic declines of diarrhea related mortality since 1990, gastrointestinal illness remains the second largest cause of morbidity (Secretaría de Salud, México 2013). This burden falls disproportionately on the poorest, youngest, and most vulnerable, with GI illness incidence rates of: 5% for all the population; 13% for children under five nationwide; and more than 20% for children under five in underserved communities in the south of the country  (Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, México 2013).

According to the Mexican Health Ministry, unsafe water and inadequate hygiene are the leading causes of diarrheal diseases. Although potable water coverage is nominally estimated at 88% in Mexico, several states in the south are critically underserved: Guerrero (62%), Oaxaca (69%), Tabasco (73%), Chiapas (74%), and Veracruz (76%). These statewide averages do not reflect internal disparities, which have systematically left rural areas with even less access: Guerrero (42%), Oaxaca (60%), Tabasco (56%), Chiapas (62%), and Veracruz (57%). In just these five states, there are approximately five million people without access to tap water (INEGI, México 2013).

To address this problem, I will be working with Fundacion Cantaro Azul (FCA). FCA has implemented a kiosk model through their Nuestra Agua Project. The Nuestra Agua kiosks innovatively and economically produce safe drinking water from local sources that are contaminated and unsafe for consumption. These kiosks successfully produce 20-liter containers of safe water at a price of US$0.35 or less, which is 20‐45% of the price charged by commercial vendors (FCA). In my practice experience, I will research ways that the Nuestra Agua social franchise in Chiapas can be more effective and retentive, ensuring that the local communities understand the importance of safe drinking water. Using a holistic approach, my fieldwork will entail interviews, questionnaires, focus groups, as well as water quality analysis to determine ways the communications team can further impact its role in the cycle of accessibility to drinking water. This research can be beneficial for FCA as well as for the local communities, ensuring high acceptance rates for FCA’s work as well as improving public health.

I am really excited to work with FCA to provide a useful resource that most of us who live in developed nations take for granted. If you have any questions feel free to ask me or your can visit FCA's website at http://www.cantaroazul.org. 

Profits at the Bottom of the Pyramid

http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/sks-microfinance-completes-rs-163-crore-securitisation-114022800366_1.html

I found this article interesting because it demonstrates the inclusion of the worlds poor into the formal global financial sector.  The author describes briefly how SKS Microfinance - a large microfinance organization that serves thousands of women in India  - secured funding for its operations in the short term by bundling and selling a bunch of the loans it has made.  This is a fairly common practice in the industry for other types of loans like mortgages which in part lead to the financial crises in 2008.  However those mortgage loans were of poor quality even though they were rated highly by rating agencies (sub-prime mortgages) making them poor investments.  It is very interesting that in the article it states that these securities created from microfinance loans were rated very highly (A+) by rating agencies.  This is in line with what you would expect given the low rates of default typical of microfinance loans - "the poor always pay back".  Apparently SKS has performed this maneuver 8 times before on smaller scales which might indicate the beginning of a trend where microfinance is slowly being incorporated into the financial sector.  Also significant is that the fact that SKS is a for-profit institution and it sold the loans to another private sector bank with furthers impression of the inclusion of microfinance into the for-profit financial sector.

While all this might seem promising there are still concerns with the basic premise that MFIs should be for-profit in order to be most effective.  Even though the loans have been rated as very secure by ratings agencies this is at interest rates around 30% - exorbitant by most standards.  In fact after digging a little bit more into what SKS has been doing I found they were implicated in causing suicides because of high interest rates and collection practices.  This was part of the Andhra microfinance crisis in which the government started enforcing heavy regulation of the sector because of perceived predatory lending.  Whether or not these allegations are true it casts doubt on whether inclusion of microfinance in the financial sector will lead to predatory lending and destroy its effectiveness as poverty alleviation technique.  This is very relevant for my PE because I will be working in a microfinance organization in Mumbai that may or may not be for-profit (my PE is not yet finalized).  If it is for-profit I will be able to see first hand whether this model is effective and the effect of interest levels on effectiveness.  It also means that regardless of whether it is for-profit or non-profit I will need to pay special attention of my MFIs interaction with the formal financial sector and government regulation resulting from the Andhra crisis.

The Doctor Shortage.

BREAKING NEWS: As of last night, President Obama proposed to increase the number of people in the National Health Service Corps (where doctors' loans are repaid by working in a rural or underserved community) and spend $5.23 billion on primary care training over 10 years. This is a great step forward to address the Doctor Shortage. But what is the this issue? Let's explore!

Critical to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act healthcare reform are several changes to our federal-state health insurance program - Medicaid. One of the biggest changes is expansion of eligibility and funding for Medicaid, which, compounded with a growing aging population, will definitely cause a surge of newly insured patients. The problem is - who is going to serve them? This has lead to what many politicians and pundits have called "The Doctor Shortage". Boiled down, it basically means there are not enough physicians to serve the rapidly expanding low income communities. Moreover, not enough physicians want to join primary care or family practice because, after 7-8 long years of training and $250k of debt, it just isn't financially worth it. Is this a problem of the healthcare system or the medical system?

First off, I want to describe a few key items PPACA. I learned most of the information about the health care reform this series of animated videos. They were created by the Kaiser Family Foundation and are really helpful in translating policy jargon to laymen terms.

One of the most important is the "individual mandate" which requires everyone to either be insured by their employer, the government, or to buy private insurance of the marketplace exchange (in California called "Covered California"). More people covered by insurance, more people that need to be seen by primary care doctors. But for doctors, Medicaid is not the most choice insurance program because of the low compensation rate and the time it takes to be paid because of bureaucracy. Wow, what terrible people. Doctor's must just want to get rich... right?

The increase in insured patients under federally and state funded insurance means that most of these people are going to be seen by places that see high concentrations of poverty. This is where Federally Qualified Community Health Centers step in. CHCs are at the forefront of Medicaid expansion. But this is not enough to address the widening disparity in number of people who need care and those who can supply it

Is it really fair to blame doctors for not wanting to take in poor patients? One new physician's experience through the medical system is really poignant:  He writes, "Now, imagine, if you would, having $230,000 dollars in debt with two young children at age 30 and listening to the news with lawmakers saying that doctors are "rich and should have their pay cut. Or that "studies show that doctors lack empathy". If the whole system is unfair - where doctors feel that they are unfairly compensated for the amount of work that they have to do and the patient load is more that they can handle, can we really call doctors the bad guys?

Michael B. Katz in relation to LIFEhabits

Yesterday in class we discussed the six problems of poverty that Michael B. Katz addressed in his essay “What kind of Problem is Poverty? The six different problems are: persons, places, resources, political economy, power, and markets. After a short discussion of how each different problem is important in its own way, the professor had us get into our groups to discuss how our group projects related to one or many of the six problems of poverty. My group’s project: Learning Important Fun Eating habits (LIFEhabits), will be focusing on looking at obesity rates in a school district and more specifically focusing on 8^th grade middle school students. Our goal is to educate students about the importance of eating healthy.

As we were discussing where our project’s goals would fit under, we came to a consensus that our project problem solution fell under resources. In Katz essay, his explanation of poverty based on resources focus a lot on money, and how poverty is the absence of money. In our case, our group felt that resources for us meant something more than money; it meant having the knowledge to understand what is happening, or why things are happening. The levels of obesity in middle schools might be the result of lack of education on nutrition. There is no real solution to this problem is all we do is give people money to try and change things without really analyzing the problem, and why it keeps happening. Like one of my classmates mentioned in class. It’s like giving homeless people money to go to the doctor, you re giving them the resource (money) but they will not go because they will either spend the money elsewhere or not be informed on where to go. The solution would be to taking them ourselves. Same thing will happen with middle school children and their schools. We can give them the money they need to change the lunch menu, but unless the students are aware of why it is best to eat healthy foods instead of Burgers and pizza every day, they will not eat during lunch, instead they will continue their eating habits outside school. Is all about knowledge. At least that is what many of us though as we started thinking about our projects.  But is it really? Professor Talwalker left us thinking about a question she wrote “is knowledge most likely conceived as a resource, or not?” on the board.

We also said that our project fell under people. The only solution will not only be informing students about the benefits of healthy eating habits, but also outreaching to them and trying to change their way of thinking. Many students do not like fruits and vegetables, and that is understandable because most of us went through that phase. But the only way to have these children change their way of thinking when it comes to choosing between healthy foods and junk food, is by motivating them and once again informing them about nutrition. At the end of the day this could be our biggest problem, having children understand.

Finally the third category in which our project falls under is places. For this category we are still debating whether it actually does fall under places or not. In class our group we had agreed that it did because where someone lives also affects their way of thinking, but after discussing as a class, our group said that maybe it did not because we were not focusing on a certain race, we wanted to apply our project to multiple school districts, wealthy or not, and finally we were not going to solve this problem by moving everyone out of their neighborhood. But when we presented our project to the class, a classmate and professor Talkwaker both mentioned that place might actually be a problem. Yet we are debating whether place is a solution to our problem.

Overall Katz essay was in my opinion a well-written essay that helped us start thinking about specific problems and solutions for our group projects that we are going to encounter along the way.

Higher Life Expectancy in Afghanistan

http://www.npr.org/2014/02/04/269551459/an-afghan-success-story-fewer-child-deaths

Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health along with NGOs run and administer free clinics, which has resulted in 80% of the population having access to health care.The average life expectancy has gone up by 17 years (from 45 to 62) because more children are living passed the age of five. In 2001, 1 in every 4 children died by the age of 5. However, recent studies have shown that 1 in every ten children now dies by the age of 5. This is a dramatic increase as a result of better access to healthcare. I am completing my practice experience at a free clinic here in Berkeley, and it just goes to show that clinics like these are absolutely necessary. However one small point that this argument makes that struck me the most, was that a lot of people in Afghanistan, and other developing countries for that matter, are having a hard time letting go of tradition. It seems like this has been a recurring theme in many discussions. NGOs can go into countries and try to deliver services or resources that they lacked, but if the population doesn't want to accept them, they won't be effective. The woman in this article for example, explains that her mother-in-law would abandon her if she gave birth at one of these clinics rather than her own home. Without the proper care in a hospital, the baby risks losing his/her life. It is important for NGOs to realize that people may not be comfortable with what we find normal, like delivering our babies in a hospital, and that if they are uncomfortable, they won't accept the services NGOs offer. It's interesting for me to think about ways to incorporate"modern" methods with traditional ones. Maybe there is a way that can make both parties happy, so that underserved families don't feel like they have to give up their own traditions and values. In this case, it could be possible for the clinic to set up a program in which they don't force women in labor to come to the clinic, but rather send a doctor or nurse to the home to assist the mother in birth.

The "END IT" Movement..."Slacktivism" or not?

http://enditmovement.com/

The ‘END IT Movement’ is organized by a coalition of national and international anti-human trafficking organizations and NGOs. This tactic is based on the idea that millions around the globe will mark his or her hand with a red X on a particular day (it was yesterday, January 27^th) to “use their influence” to “join the fight for freedom.” People take pictures of their red Xs and post on social media (i.e. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to express outrage against human trafficking and to spread the word that slavery still exists. Take a look at the campaign video on their website to get the vibe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7yFuLxoldU ) Participants of the “END IT Movement’ range from students to Hollywood celebrities.

As a GPP student, of course I am a little skeptical about this tactic. Is this a result of “slacktivism” rather than activism? After January 27^th, when pictures of red X’s blow up on social media sites, what happens afterward? It seems like most people will forget and resume with their lives, until the next “END IT” day of advocacy occurs a year later. Besides donating to the coalition organizations, the ‘END IT Movement,’ the website provides few direct actions for participants to undertake afterward. It seems a little weird to me that the website commends individuals for “fighting” against slavery, by simply drawing a red X on his or her hand.

Also, slavery is an extremely complex problem…shouldn’t participants learn more about the systemic causes such as poverty, inequality, cultural norms, or gender issues? The main reason for the “red X’ is to express ‘outrage’ over trafficking. But there are no individuals who support human trafficking…. Of course, most people want to end slavery and experience outrage. I think it’s important to ask HOW we can “end it” and also to educate people about the issue itself.  

As people in my GPP 105 class may know, I am going to Ghana this summer to work with an NGO who administers a school and rehabilitation center for child trafficking survivors. Since high school, I’ve been interested in the fight against human trafficking. Although I have these reservations about the END IT Movement, perhaps I am being too pessimistic. After all, the END IT Movement starts a conversation about modern-day slavery for people who may know nothing about the issue.  One may ask “Why do you have a red X on your hand?” and awareness spreads. I do think this is important…For example, once I learned that 33 million people are enslaved in our world, I became very passionate about this issue for the past 4 years. Is the END IT movement better than doing nothing?

Voluntourism

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mario-machado/the-privilege-of-doing-de_b_4832836.html

The topic of voluntourism really intrigues me and not just because of the witty play on words.  I was first struck by the term in GPP 115 when the class was assigned an article that left me quite discouraged about the previous outreach experience I’ve had, especially since I left feeling quite satisfied about what I did to help.  When I read Professer Talwalker’s article earlier this week, this time I felt a lot less discourage and more so aware and critical of my role as a volunteer.

I found an interesting article titled “The Privilege of Doing Development Work: Voluntourism and Its Limitations.” The article is about a volunteer reflecting on his two-year work with the Peace Corps in Paraguay.  Through the experience, he realized what it meant to do good and bad Development work.  He points out that although spending two years in Paraguay, he felt that he should have stayed longer since building essential relationships with the community takes time. A last critique is that as an outsider, we have intrinsic biases that influence what we presume to be the solutions and needs of the community. Furthermore, he states that if one is not critical of our privileged positions as outsiders who are able to do development work, then that propagates this idea of “voluntourism” rather than quality volunteer aid.  This parallels Talwalker’s article when she describes ”our privilege as our impoverishment.”  As outsiders who limit our understanding as development equated to westernization, then in facts it’s us that are the impoverished.

After reading these articles, I realized in terms of my practice experience that as a six-week volunteer, I’m not going to individually make a large impact in the lives of the community. However, in six-weeks, I can get a glimpse of the work of an organization (Blue- Med Africa) as well as the communities that the organization targets through its clinics and medical outreach.  I will not be offering a skill-set like medical experience that I know I do not have, but I do have the tools, which I will continue to develop in GPP 105, to be critical of the work that my PE organization (which is composed of professionals offering a special skill set) is doing and its impact.

Cancer's Presence in the Third World

A recent article from the print edition of the economist highlights the effects of cancer on patients in third world developing countries. A lot of relief work and healthcare reform in third world countries focus on eradicating basic diseases like malaria, polio, vitamin deficiencies, and malnutrition. The unfortunate reality is that, “Cancer kills more people in poor countries than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined”. Cancer has been mankind’s kryptonite as of the 20^th and 21^st century. Even with an increase in awareness and financing of research, progress towards creating a remedy for the disease has been at a stand still. The article in the economist discusses the consequences of healthcare underdevelopment in other countries; “Many developing countries have no trained oncologists, let alone a treatment centre. Even where care is available, the sick often delay because they are poor or do not know that treatment is urgent. Some languages have no word for cancer.”

The amount of aid that goes toward cancer is also staggeringly low even though it claims more victims. Although the these developing countries struggle to finance cancer treatments or remedies, I believe that small investments into cancer treatments should be made no matter how impractical it is to implement a full on cancer treatment system. A surprising piece of information from the article discusses the Millennium Development Goals that we discussed in GPP 115; “Three of the Millennium Development Goals dealt with health, but none mentioned cancer”. Ultimately, it is up those philanthropists and NGO’s that are based in these third world countries to perhaps recognize that victims in cancer are in need of help. Unfortunately, the government is unable to provide them with much resources and they are inflicted with severe pain and distress. It’s an unfortunate cycle and we must be quick to recognize that it is in fact a growing problem in these countries.