Yearly Archives: 2013

It was such poignant news to hear of Nelson Mandela’s passing yesterday.  I have been thinking about it a lot over the past day, as Mandela was one of my utmost role models growing up.

Mandela represented so much to so many people: hope, resiliency, compassion, determination, empathy, courage… the list goes on.  His strength of character was incredible – I cannot even imagine the energy that it would take to forgive the oppressors that imprisoned him for 27 YEARS.  That is by no means an easy feat and requires continuous effort; thus, Mandela taught the world lessons not only pertaining to politics or justice, but also ethics.

It is also important to remember that Mandela was the face of a movement that included thousands of fellow courageous freedom fighters.  In this regard, countless other individuals need to also be recognized for their fights for equality, as Mandela’s accomplishments could not have been made possible without the continuous, collaborative efforts made by these individuals.

It has also been amazing to witness just how many lives he touched across the globe.  Seeing the reactions that have taken place over the past 24 hours has been incredible.  I went to a tribute today put on by UBC’s Africa Awareness Initiative, which was very touching and a great opportunity to share stories regarding how Mandela impacted so many youth on a personal level.  A few South African students were present at the tribute, two of which had the honour to even meet Mandela in person.  It was interesting to hear their stories of how they felt this figure transformed their country and how they bared witness to these transformations personally.  It was very moving.

Without question, Mandela has left a legacy of love and forgiveness that will last generations.  However, now that he has passed on, I feel it’s important for us to continue pursuing his struggle for greater equality.  It’s as if Mandela started the race, yet now the baton has been passed on and it’s up to us to continue running and moving forward. I think this is part of a greater process that requires each of us to individually commit to making the world a better place.  Whether it’s refusing to be a bystander, volunteering at various community events or demanding greater equality in our work places, these actions can have significant impacts, especially if made on a larger scale.

It was an incredible opportunity to grow up and be raised during a time that such an inspiring figure was on this planet.  Only occasionally does an individual make such a positive impact on this Earth, which is something we should all strive towards.

“A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamt of.” -Nelson Mandela

RIP Madiba, your light will be shining bright.

I was very excited to be given the opportunity to attend the 2013 Global Washington Conference.  As I am graduating this year, I am beginning to explore options regarding opportunities for next year.  It can be daunting at times trying to figure out post-university options. Should I should go straight into a Masters program, work in Vancouver or work internationally?  Hence, I was looking forward to traveling to Seattle this week to speak to individuals who have had considerable experience working in global health settings.  This opportunity certainly enabled me to better understand their experiences, hear lessons they have learned, listen to their feedback and also explore networking opportunities.

Deo Niyizonkiza was the opening keynote speaker.  I found his speech very intriguing and relatable to many courses that I have covered, as he has established a health program in rural Burundi.  As he articulated, “Without health, no society’s self-sufficient.”  This reassured to me the vital role that healthcare has in any society, which can contribute not only towards optimal emotional and physical health and well-being, but also indirect contributions to economic development, agricultural/food security outcomes and community engagement.  I also valued his feedback when he articulated, “Expect more frustration in frustrating situations.” I sometimes find conferences or talks on overwhelming topics such as global health can be superficial; however, these are imperative issues and careers that can oftentimes be emotionally draining, which people need to better recognize.

We subsequently heard a discussion with Neal Keny-Guyer, CEO of Mercy Corps.  In our informational pamphlet, it highlighted that he is the company’s CEO as “he is interested in creating a more just and peaceful world.”  Although these are great intentions, I was concerned that his approach could come across as ethnocentric in cross-cultural contexts, despite his intent of creating a “more just world.”  However, I was comforted when he argued that, “[Those of us who are working in global development contexts] need to ask ourselves if we’re really just moving big needles when we’re measuring if we’re being successful.”  This really resonated with me, as I feel that global development projects are part of a structure that is so multi-faceted; moreover, what may work in one country may not be applied with the same results in another setting.  Foreign development workers need to start recognizing this.

I subsequently went to a discussion led by the Landesa organization, a non-profit that attempts to increase land tenure in developing countries.  I quite enjoyed the discussion.  As one of the speakers argued, “People need to identify the source of the problem to lay foundation that people can subsequently work to fix.”  This reassured to me that many foreign organizations are indeed concerned with implementing projects that are sustainable by going to the root of the problem, rather than only creating band-aid solutions.  As one speaker subsequently argued at the conference, “We need to find solutions, not only find problems in developing countries.”

After lunch, I went to a workshop titled, “We F?#@!* Up!”  I was very encouraged to see that people were indeed openly discussing how many global development projects can go awry along with covering ways to evade encountering unwanted results and misunderstandings.  To me, there appears to be a pattern: when global development projects fail, it’s often due to elements of ethnocentrism.  However, this is often sub-conscious, subtle and unintentional.  Therefore, this is a difficult outcome to avoid when working in inter-cultural settings, as foreign workers implementing development projects are often unaware that they are being ethnocentric.  So in regards to moving forward, how do we recognize this imperative issue when it’s a subliminal result?  I don’t feel there’s a definitive answer as it’s so multi-faceted.  This workshop covered many of these issues through individual first-hand accounts.  I found it interesting to hear the speakers’ stories and to learn about specific things to avoid, such as not feeling obligated to follow through with projects just because of donor money.

The last workshop I went to was facilitated by workers of the global health organization, PATH.  I found this particular workshop the most helpful for my personal endeavors, as it emphasized ways to make individuals more marketable during job searches.  We covered topics such as how to enhance resumes, cover letters and Linkedin profiles.  Afterwards, I spoke with Leanne, one of the facilitators and she gave me a few very useful tips of advice as I move forward with my career in global health.   I really appreciated her taking the time to speak to me.

Our final keynote speaker was Ken Berger, who discussed steps to ensure successful charities.  At times, I found parts of his presentation difficult to follow, as there was a lot of jargon; however, overall, I found it interesting to hear his advice.  For example, he emphasized the importance of not working on teams that have poor leadership, as nothing will get achieved.  His discussion made me ponder how I wish that developed countries could begin looking at charities from a new paradigm.  More specifically, I wish that charities could be viewed from a more reciprocal standpoint, where community members are truly the ones in charge of these initiatives to ensure that these projects are sustainable and meet community needs; however, I do not feel that many charities view their work from this standpoint.

Overall, I found this conference a very valuable experience.  I really enjoyed traveling with the fellow GRS students, especially since I have not been able to attend in-class GRS courses due to my varsity swimming and class schedules.  Both to and from Seattle, we had several in-depth discussions regarding how each of us feel we fit in with these complex, multi-dimensional issues and what our passions and aspirations are.  I would certainly recommend that students partake in similar conferences in the future, as I that it is one thing to understand something in theory, but it’s a whole different context applying it in the real world.  Overall, I found this conference helped me to better understand this.

In June, I had the incredible opportunity to take part in UBC’s IHHS 408 course which explores topics in aboriginal public health.  I traveled to Duncan, BC (on Vancouver Island) along with three other student team members, one of which was a sociology student and the other two were medical students.  We stayed with a First Nations host family for the month in order to better immerse ourselves in the community.  I was very eager to take part in this course because I have explored many temporary issues in developing countries such as Tanzania; however, through my studies and explorations in Tanzania, I realized that I do not know enough about current issues in my own country.

Beforehand, I didn’t know that Cowichan has the largest concentration of Aboriginal members is Canada and we were very fortunate that so many people were open to sharing with us many of their stories and traditional customs.  At the beginning of the course, we heard first-hand accounts of the atrocities that some community members horrifically went through in Residential Schools.  Hearing these accounts opened my eyes, as I never truly understood the solemnity of these former government-run schools and the atrocities that many First Nations individuals and communities were forced to go through.  Through hearing these events, one thing that stood out for me was the incredible resiliency and humbleness that the First Nations people posses.  It was certainly very inspiring and an honour to hear these personal stories that these men and women selflessly shared with us.  We also took part in several traditional activities, such as harvesting cedar and going on a medicinal walk outdoors.

We worked in the Ts’ewulhtun Health Clinic for the entirety of the course.  We job shadowed several nurses, dieticians, nutritionists, doctors and sociologists, which was an invaluable experience.  Especially since I aspire eventually working in the healthcare field, it is imperative to learn how to collaboratively dialogue inter-professionally.  We worked on several projects throughout our stay, which ranged from creating an HIV promotional campaign, creating an info sheet for child-developmental milestones, writing a nutritional guide as well as developing a research ethics protocol.

It was incredibly beneficial to take part in an experiential learning course, as there is so much more to learn by witnessing something first-hand than you ever will in a textbook. What I particularly took away from this course is the incredible respect that is given towards Elders in aboriginal communities, something I greatly admire, as too often Elders in the society that I came from are seen as being “outdated”, rather than “wise.”  Furthermore, I learned that wellness stems from broader social constructs and that a collaborative approach towards healthcare is necessary in order to achieve the greatest outcomes. This is certainly a course that I would highly recommend UBC students to take part in.

“Fertilizers and pesticides kill insects quickly but humans slowly.” –A Cuban Farmer

This past May I took part in an international field course that examined sustainable agriculture practices in Cuba.  LFS 302A delved into imperative issues ranging from food sovereignty to intercropping to ecological pest management.  Currently, Cuba faces a considerable task of attempting to be largely self-sufficient with their agricultural production due to a plethora of factors.  These include the current U.S. Embargo and the historical collapse of the Soviet Block in 1991, which acted as a catalyst to a national economic crisis as 85% of Cuba’s imports were suddenly abolished.  However, despite the adversity, Cubans have proved to be incredibly resilient and innovative in their farming practices, which has led the country to become a leading nation that promotes sustainable agricultural practices.

Cuba is a unique country that provides access to housing, free healthcare, education and even a steady food supply to each of its citizens as a result of policies implemented by the socialist government.   Through ration stores (which sell foods that are heavily subsidized) each citizen has access to their basic food needs.  Along with this, Cubans supplement their food intake by visiting state markets, which are also subsidized, as well as farmers markets.  In addition, children receive a guaranteed supply of yogurt and milk during their early years, which is vital in providing imperative physical and cognitive growth during this critical stage of their development.  As a result, rates of extreme poverty are not present in the country as may be elsewhere in other developing nations.

Additionally, Cuba is a highly educated nation.  In fact, despite only possessing 2% of the Latin American population, 11% of Latin American scientists are from Cuba.  This has played a large role in the country’s ability to respond to the obstacles that they have faced in the past towards creating an agroecological, sustainable and efficient farming system.   Moreover, creating agricultural practices that rely on biological management and organic production are incredibly complex; however, due to the high rate of educated individuals, Cubans have been able to tackle these issues upfront with incredible tenacity and success.

It is important to note that Cuba, just like any country, also faces its fair share of challenges.  Specifically, Cubans on average spend 90% of their disposable income on food (though factors such as healthcare and education are taken out of the equation).  Moreover, there is not free press and finding ways to attempt to increase family income can be limited.  Despite this, the country has still chosen to be resilient and provide some of the greatest achievements in the agricultural field.  

Overall, what particularly struck me was witnessing how truly innovative Cuban farmers are.  What’s more, they are not only searching for ways to increase their yields or surpluses.  Rather, Cuban farmers are primarily concerned with finding ways to benefit the environment by creating a system that promotes biodiversity in which they can produce food from within.  For example, we met a Cuban farmer during the course who turned rice husks into organic soil matter.  This paradigm is vastly different to the majority of industrial lenses shaped in developed countries.  Along with the push for an urban agricultural movement and the strong cooperative presence in Cuba, these viewpoints and factors are only a few areas that developed nations such as Canada could beneficially learn from in a reciprocal relationship.

It was certainly an incredible opportunity to witness all of this first-hand in Cuba, as there are particular areas of expertise that can be gained through experiential learning which textbooks simply cannot teach.  As a result, I have returned to Canada with tangible ideas, critical questions and an open mindset with regards to ways in which we can improve our own food production and food sovereignty at home in order to achieve a more sustainable future.