Who do you want to be??? How do you define yourself??? DON'T LET PEOPLE DEFINE HOW YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE!

Hello Blogger Land,

Wow, it’s been only a week since my last post, yet, I feel like so much has happened in my life over this short period of time! For starters, I had the wonderful experience of spending several days doing some primitive camping/canoeing with a group of teenagers last week.  This was quite the experience to say the least.  I normally consider myself to be an expert when it comes to camping…well, wilderness stuff in general.  But, I really tested my limits with…how do I put this tastefully…outdoor bathroom facilities and camp food.  In fact, I had a pretty nice dose of reality in regards to food and how difficult being a vegetarian can be in situations that I don’t consider “normal”.  Some of you may be asking “how does this trip have to do with going to Honduras?????  Well, it has a lot to do with Honduras because I learned two things….

1)   Using a “latrine” (which, lets face it, is really just code for a 6in hole in the ground) isn’t as glamorous as it sounds…  I’m not sure what the bathroom facilities will be like in Honduras, however, I read somewhere that most folks in rural Honduras have a hand-dug, unlined hole in the ground….NICE!

2)  Just because you inform people you’re vegetarian, you should NEVER underestimate how little people know in regards to preparing food for vegetarians!  This freaks me out because in Honduras (well most countries in Latin America) it isn’t acceptable to reject food that is prepared for you.  However, I don’t really want Honduras to be the time that I start experimenting with bringing beef flesh back into my diet.  :)

During my camping trip this last week it definitely made me aware of these two things and thus, I’m going to have to do some planning before hand to make sure I don’t have any bad experiences….or catch the revenge. 

Also, since my last post I have had the privilege of hearing Dr. Dorthy Edwards (founder of the Green Dot program http://www.livethegreendot.com/gd_strategy.html) speak about something I hold near and dear to my heart…bystander intervention/green dot/violence intervention and prevention/etc.  I will spare you all of the details of the conference, however, she spoke of hope for change in the field of domestic and sexual violence.  Again, you’re probably thinking, “What does this have to do with Honduras????”  But, if you’ve followed my earlier blogs you know that my hope for this project is that it will evolve into doing research in the field of human trafficking in Honduras.  That said, everything she spoke of today resonated deeply with me. 

She specifically spoke of hope...and that without hope, there is nothing.  She challenged the group to do our own assessment of the hope we have for our work.  She continued to ask us three very important questions.   

1)  As a direct result of your work, do you believe that things (whatever this may be) can change?

2)  Who do you want to be in the world?

3)  How do you define yourself? 

So, I am asking you all to share your answers for these three questions.  Please share your comments in the comment section of this blog or comment section of my facebook page.  PLEASE participate.  I’m going to sit and think about it tonight and will post my answers in the morning…. But, my challenge for you guys is to really think deeply and answer these questions.  After you answer them, BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE!  Get creative folks…I’d really love to see some participation with this one! :)

Could you live on less than a dollar/day? NO, I don't think so......

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) estimates that 60.2% of Honduran households live below the poverty level.  What does that mean for us????  Well, poverty for Americans is likely a lot different than poverty there.  In America, one may feel poor due to a lack of material things.  This is quite common for us, especially since we live in a material world.  For those who live in rural Honduras, poverty means a completely different thing.  Remember in an earlier post I discussed the fact that many people living in Santiago had to hike for up to 2 hours one way to get clean drinking/cooking water for their families....that my friends is poverty.  Additionally, almost 80% of rural Honduras lives on less than $1 a day......  I don't even know if that is physically possible for folks living in America.  If you think about it, what can you buy these days that costs less that $1.........  a gum-ball?  I can't really think of anything that you could purchase that could sustain yourself (or family for that matter) and has a cost equivalent of $1/day....well, I take that back.  If you bough twelve eggs, a loaf of bread, milk and some produce and spread it out it could maybe equal out to $1/day over a period of a few days..............  But, that isn't a lot.  In American culture it is literally NOTHING to drop $5 on a cup of coffee.... $40 on a dinner for two.....  etc.  In Honduras, an entire HOUSEHOLD could live on that $40 for over a month.......  This information is very humbling, and shows me how lucky we really are...  It is also an eye opener as for I am guilty for doing a lot of....how do I put it...."useless spending".  The next time you are going out with your friends and family think about this and be thankful that by Honduran standards, you are likely not poor, even though we often think so....especially us college students....regardless of our Mac computers, ipods, clothing, entertainment, etc.  :)

Until next time, "adios"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,

She who travels for justice! :)

One Love :)

This photo was taken on June 12th in Negril, Jamaica. 

A little dose of what it is like to travel in developing countries......

Hello Readers:

I apologize for the delay in posting, I've been traveling a bit over the past few days.  For those of you who know, I went Jamaica this past weekend to watch my brother get married to his beautiful wife!  It was amazing.  For the most part, my experience in Jamaica didn't consist of anything outside of the resort.  That said, it was nothing CLOSE to what I am going to experience when I go to Honduras.  However, I did get a little dose of reality when I traveled away from the resort one evening.  The people in Jamaica are very much believers in the "One Love" mentality.  In fact, I sat for about 45 minutes listening to a man discuss what each of the colors in the Rastafarian movement (red, green, yellow and black) stood for.  He said, "the red is for the blood of the people, the green is for the earth and it's value, the yellow is for the sun and the black is for the party people.....one love."  The Jamaican culture practices a lot of Rastafarian beliefs which typically consists of a "spiritual use" of cannabis..................which, in my opinion really just means that they have a spiritual excuse to smoke pot.  However, this is just a part of the culture!  The moment Emily and I stepped off of the plane and went through customs we were offered drugs and alcohol.  Additionally, I was also offered (excuse me mom...if you're reading) "a good Jamaican F&%$".  At that point, I was scared.  The reason why I bring this up is because for the longest time I had this understanding that the folks in Jamaica are totally relaxed, friendly and harmless....One Love right????  However, I do not belong to their culture.  I was a mere tourist pretending to relate when I talked to them.  This was an eye opening experience for me and it also helped me realize that while in Honduras, no matter how much I try to totally emerge myself into their culture, I am not one of them.....and it is important to practice safety, safety, safety.  Does this mean I can't do what I am sent their to do??? NO!!!!  Trust me, I will try as best as I can to emerge myself.  I will learn from them as much as they will learn from me.  I am sure it will be a wonderful experience.  However, this trip helped me realize how different we truly are from the rest of the world.  It also reminded me, once again, how lucky I am to have the things I have in my life.....Including clean water! :)

Until next time, happy travels!

Love,

She Who Travels For Justice

If only one photo......

If you had only ONE opportunity....one shot (ok, now I feel like Eminem the rapper) to photograph something you feel defines the health status of the US..... What would you photograph!?!?

Please respond in the comments section of this blog!!!! If you cannot do that, respond on my Facebook wall!

I would photograph a medical bill with insurance company logos in the background....perhaps it would also have a blurry vingette of the White House.

What would you photograph!?!?

Food for thought on Justice..........

For those of you who know me, you know that my true passion as far as what I want to do with my life is focused on doing work in sexual violence prevention/intervention as well as human trafficking (including sex trafficking...or just trafficking).  Naturally, I hope that my time in Honduras this summer will lead to someday doing work in this area only in Central America.  


I cannot blog for long today, however, I wanted to leave you with these brief statistics.....I'll post more later on this topic....however, hopefully you will get an understanding as to why I would like to be a part of a movement that puts a stop to human trafficking worldwide.  


Trafficking stats:
-800,000 – Number of people trafficked across international borders every year. 
Source: U.S. Department of State, Trafficking in Persons Report: 2007.

-1 million – Number of children exploited by the global commercial sex trade, every year.   

Source: U.S. Department of State, The Facts About Child Sex Tourism: 2005.

-50% – Percent of transnational victims who are children. 

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Report to Congress from Attorney General John Ashcroft on U.S. Government Efforts to Combat     Trafficking in Persons in Fiscal Year 2003: 2004.

-70% – Percent of female victims who are trafficked into the commercial sex industry. This means that 30% of female victims are victims of forced labor.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Assessment of U.S. Government Activities to Combat Trafficking in Persons: 2004.

Additionally, as many as 100 Honduran children have been smuggled overland into Canada from Honduras, by a professional drug ring trafficking children to Vancouver. The Honduran smugglers pay the childrens’ transportation costs and help them across the Canadian border. Once in Vancouver, the traffickers put the children in apartments, help them file refugee claims and sign up for welfare. In return, the children are turned out on the street as indentured drug dealers. (Adrienne Turner, "Drug ring lures kids as dealers: Hondurans as young as 11 deal crack in Vancouver," Ottawa Citizen, 20 July 1998)

Lastly,the majority of the street girls (homeless girls) in Honduras are victims of prostitution. ("The Situation of Street Children in Latin America," Bruce Harris, Executive Director, Latin American Programmes, Casa Alianza/Covenant House Latin America, 9 October 1997)  All homeless girls in Honduras, who engage in "survival sex" in exchange for basic necessities, were initially victims of sexual abuse in their homes. (Casa Alianza study, "Former Honduran Street Girls Travel to Canada for International Summit of Sexually Exploited Youth," 2 March 1998).

Never forget the value of your access to clean drinking water

Did you know that Honduras is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere, behind Haiti? Before I started researching Honduras in preparation for this project, I had no idea. There are several health risks associated with poverty, including: lack of access to healthcare, adult literacy rates and poor access to water. In Honduras, 38% of people have no access to healthcare. Additionally, adult literacy rate in Honduras is a mere 26.6%. Both significantly impacting the health of the country. However, the real concerns are focused around the water related issues that cause myriad of diseases often resulting in death.

Important water statistics:
-Barely 1/2 of the population in Honduras has access to disinfected water.
-50,000 Honduran children under the age of 5 die each year from diseases resulting in a lack of pure drinking water.
-80% of illness in Honduras originate from drinking dirty water.

In addition, in rural Honduras many homes lack proper sanitation/waste removal as they have bathrooms (eh hem, "bathrooms") consisting of hand-dug latrines.............Como? This creates a significant issue because waste then penetrates the water supply and creates many contamination issues.
When I was in Rolla, I met with several engineers who are currently working on water projects in Santiago. One of them mentioned that before they came to the city, residents were hiking up a giant hill just to get clean drinking water. Many times it would take them 2 or more hours round-trip just to get water to drink and cook with. I'll never forget that...especially as I sit here today staring at a leaky water fountain at work..... For me, all I have to do is get up, remove the lid to my water bottle and fill it up....poof!....I can drink clean water! In America, access to clean water is such a normal thing and we often take it for granted. We leave the water running as we brush our teeth, stay in the shower for just a few extra minutes, prolong fixing a leaky fountain because it would be a hassle.....psh, hassle? A hassle for me would be to hike a hill everyday lasting up to two hours just to get enough water for my family to drink that day. Additionally, it would also be a hassle to contract intestinal parasites, dysentery, diarrhea and dehydration because of contaminated water.

Think about these things the next time you empty your water glass because your water is a little warm.....

I'm very excited to learn more about the health inequalities in this vulnerable country. Hopefully my experiences will open my eyes and help me realize all of the great things I have in my life. Even the simplest things....such as a glass of water.

Disclaimer: I've posted this blog from my phone, so
I apologize for any mis-spellings! ;). Will post more tonight!

Let the countdown begin

Honduras is populated by some of the most deprived individuals in Central America.  The presence of communicable diseases are evident in this country and are related to poor access to clean drinking water as well as poor basic sanitation.  In Honduras, the majority (60.2%) of households live below the poverty level while many live in extreme poverty.  In fact, a total of 1,714,835 inhabitants live in households with a per capita income of less than one dollar a day (PAHO, 2009).  80% of these individuals live in rural Honduras, much like the city I will be traveling to in July.  There are many social and environmental factors impacting the health of the people living in Honduras.  These factors include poverty, poor waste removal, water pollution and air pollution.  Additionally, much of Central America (including Honduras) is plagued with violence, drug trafficking and human trafficking.  

Where will I be going this summer?  SANTIAGO HONDURAS!!!!!!!  Many wonder why I chose to do this.... Sometimes I am still wondering myself.  However, follow this blog and hopefully it will help shed some light on why I will be embarking on this journey.  Hopefully while reading, you'll learn more about the health inequalities in Honduras and want to get involved!

In approximately 45 days another MPH student and I will be traveling to Honduras with a group of Engineers Without Borders.  There, I will conduct a PhotoVoice project in order to gain a better understanding of the health inequalities in the small rural city of Santiago.  I know that a lot of you are wondering "what is PhotoVoice????". While I'm not claiming to be the PhotoVoice expert, I have been doing a fair amount of research on this qualitative methodology and feel that it will offer a powerful addition to the data we plan to gather during our stay.  PhotoVoice combines grassroots social action with photography while allowing residents/participants to share their point of view by taking pictures of issues or topics of interest, discussing them together and presenting their concerns.  It was founded based off of feminist theory and has been used to give insight on the participants circumstances and hopes for change in the future.  

The plan:  

I will be traveling to Santiago for two weeks in July and hope to return again in January.  The city that I will be staying at contains 8 neighborhoods, and thus, I plan to provide two cameras to individuals living in each neighborhood. They will have approximately 10 days to take the photographs, and 2 days to prepare for their presentation.  Towards the end of my stay the participants will present their photographs at a water community meeting in efforts to educate community leaders as well as EWB on what they feel are significant areas of concern in regards to the health of Santiago.  Additionally I hope to conduct some interviews with the residents as well as focus groups.  Ideally I would like to do some video journaling too....but that would be in a perfect world.  :)  If I have the time and resources you can plan to hear about my video diary projects as well.  

I am sure many of you are wondering how I will be able to fund this project?  Well, this is where I need YOUR help.  I am currently collaborating with the Director of the MPH program here at Mizzou to conduct a small fundraising campaign in order to fund this project.  We are needing to purchase a total of 20 cameras, 16 to distribute and 4 backup and cannot do this alone.  Additionally, these cameras will later be transferred to Guatemala in order for 3 additional MPH students to use to conduct a similar project.   That said, WE NEED YOU!!!!  We are currently asking for monetary donations or donations of equipment (cameras and batteries).  At the moment we haven't finalized what camera we will be using, but in order to minimize confusion for participants, it would be best if each camera is the same!  That said, the moment I have news on camera type, I will post it!  

If you are interested in contributing either monetarily or making an in-kind donation, please send it to the address below: 

Ms. Enola White

Master of Public Health Program

802 Lewis Hall

University of Missouri

Columbia, Missouri 65211

If you plan to make a contribution by check, make it out to the University of Missouri.  Please write in the memo line: MPH Student Opportunities Fund-Abby Rolbiecki.  

I hope that each of you find it in your heart to make a small contribution of some sort.  Trust me when I say "it will be for a great cause".  Not only will your support benefit a community in need, but it will also help students like myself participate in life changing educational experiences such as these.  

I hope you plan to follow my blog throughout the next couple of months.  I can assure you that it will be both educational and entertaining!  I am sure most of you will get a kick out of my future posts.  :)  

Follow me this summer as I take this journey.  I hope you do!  :)