Emily's Worldview

We read an amazing article for my Global Health Policy class yesterday. It was from Human Rights Quarterly (Volume 27, issue 3), but it was about maternal mortality, specifically deaths associated with pregnancy. Basically the argument was that if you look at the epidemiology of maternal mortality in the developing world, you can see that there are a lot of stupid deaths taking place because of lack of access to care. Even if you improve nutrition, education, water--all the usual suspects for disproportionate death in the developing world--you don't affect maternal mortality until you improve access to health facilities. The implication, of course is that governments have an obligation to prevent disproportionate deaths from pregnancy complications.

I loved the article and I think that every article about epidemiology in developing countries should convey the same sense of outrage and the same sense of obligation. I've been reading a lot of scholarly articles; most report horrific health statistics dispassionately. But I don't think scholarship and indignation have to trade off; as long as methods are sound and the truth as it's presented demands a response, I don't see why they should.

Because I just never can shut up about global AIDS...

The US government has pledged to support the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria up to one third of its total allocation. This year, the US portion is $700 million. Congress so far has only appropriated $450 million. An additional $100 million is already included in the Labor-HHS spending bill, but hasn’t been approved, and the balance must come from emergency spending.

The Global Fund needs at least $250 million more from the US to continue its work and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist can make it happen.

The Global Fund is a community-based, effective, and transparent organization committed to eradicating three of the world’s deadliest diseases. The Global Fund is currently supporting local initiatives in 127 countries around the world.

What you can do:

Tell Senator Frist to support $250 million more for the Global Fund in 2006.

1. Call (202) 224 – 3344

2. Leave a message with the following information:

• Your name and where you are calling from

• Why global AIDS is important to you

• Urge Senator Frist to support $250 million more for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB & Malaria before the end of the year .

Thank you for taking time to make a difference! This call in day is part of a national week of action (November 14-18). To learn more, visit www.fightglobalaids.org.

The reason that I left Tanzania and came to Atlanta was that I thought that, even if the most important thing to do with my life was to dedicate myself to service, the degree program I was entering would help me to be more effective, and that it would help me to find a position with more influence and power, which would be a better way to serve the poor.

But now I'm not so sure. I fundamentally disagree with the underlying philosophies of most of the institutions involved in distributing development money on the ground. I, unlike a lot of people here, don't think that striving to advance my own career is inherently an act of service. If I will have to abandon my principles to fit into the philosophy of some institution, is it worth the eventual prestige or the security of an income?

And I'm pretty ambivalent about what I'm learning, too. It all seems useful, but particularly so if I wanted to enter the same development game that seems like a waste and a racket to me. I guess it's good to learn about how these structures operate because I will have to deal with them forever, but I could have done that through work experience (maybe) and gotten paid, instead of forking out good money for the same. Being a student is just so easy, and so removed from where I think I belong. Here, my greatest stresses have to do with my own GPA. Here, I get to spend money on myself trying new restaurants, buying things, seeing the city, just generally doing things that are fun.

My situation is more ambiguous than I want it to be. Even if I volunteer, even if I live by my 5 life rules, even if I get back to Africa as soon as I can, is that enough?

In a recent class, we did an activity where small groups had to represent various public actors and generate soundbites about civilian casualties in the Iraq war. As the Rove and Pentagon groups delivered lines about "our brave men and women in uniform" "the march to democracy" "the true patriots" and "our cowardly enemies" the class erupted in knowing laughter. The various slogans sounded silly and pompous in our ears, and yet they are immensely powerful and responsible for so much horror in our names.

Funny, when we talk about "Justice for the Poor" "Global Equity" "Living wage" and "Health care for all", we get derided as idealistic sloganeers who don't know how the world works. People who advocate for "winning the war on terror" and "spreading democracy in the Middle East" don't get the same sort of scrutiny, despite all evidence against them.

The advantage we have as advocates for the poor and the sick is that our morality is not ambiguous. Nor do we have to exaggerate anything because the truth is already horrific. Even if we never get on the CNN scroll, or even if the world realizes we are right only when too much has been lost, it is worth saying and believing the impractical and the idealistic. Truth and justice are on our side, for what that's worth.