Helping fight "the woman's battle"

by Lenore Ramirez.

In Uganda, pregnancy is also known as “Olutalo lwa bakyala,” which is Lugandan for “the woman’s battle.” It means that when a woman goes to battle, you don’t know if she or her child is going to survive.

During her international work term, Christina Marchand (4A Health Studies) volunteered as a medical intern with the Save the Mothers organization, which trains professionals from developing countries to improve mothers’ health through their specific vocation and sphere of influence. Christina was offered an unpaid volunteer position with housing, but luckily, received about $1,000 per month from government grants, as well as an International Experience Award from the University of Waterloo. The operating room, one of the areas she volunteered, has introduced Christina to incredible perspectives, and her international work term is a life-changing experience we can all learn from. 

Initially, Christina took on an administrative role: conducting an audit of the hospital to see what could be achieved with little to no money, and helping the staff understand the medical instruments that oftentimes came with no instructions. Having never lived in a developed country before, and wanting to be as involved as possible, six weeks later saw her volunteering in the hospital’s delivery room. This learning experience was extremely beneficial, as it wasn’t long before she was thrown right into one of the most inconceivable events of anyone’s life.

The Women’s Battle 

The hospital that Christina worked at was so severely understaffed that during the night shift, only one person would be on call. One night, four women were set to simultaneously deliver; but when a patient required an emergency C-section, the remaining person on duty had to leave to assist the surgery. Christina then found herself in the terrifying position of having to deliver three children at once with no prior medical experience. Extremely scared, the last words she was left with were, “Don’t worry - if you weren’t here, no one else would be, so you can’t do anything wrong.” Luckily, after an intense period during which Christina describes herself as “frazzled” and “super stressed,” three more babies were born. Of the feat that would intimidate many doctors, she says, “When you’re in that situation, you’re just surprised at what you can do.” 

Saving Lives

In addition to working in the maternity ward, Christina also wound up battling the ethics that surround medicine. In Uganda, many people can’t afford even the simplest medication, and when there was 99 cents separating a person’s life from death, Christina found it incredibly difficult to refrain from helping. “Even if you have the money, you can’t save everyone, and you can’t try to because that won’t be good for you either,” she says. “Being able to be okay with yourself as a human being after those experiences is sometimes hard.” In fact, her submission to CECA’s “Where in the World” photo contest held last November is a testament to this. When it was too late to save a mother needing an emergency C-section, Christina saw the patient’s husband and daughter sitting by the road in silence. “[Suddenly] it made me see the whole picture,” she explains. “Because I was always focusing on the mother - but I didn’t know why we had to save the mother. And then I saw that it wasn’t just for the mother’s life…It was for the whole family’s life.”

New Perspectives

Facing the same situation, many of us would’ve been daunted by the gravity of Christina’s experiences - but she says she wouldn’t have changed it for the world. After her international experience, Christina has a new perspective on life, and what it means to be “rich”; as a Canadian, she was startled by the economic differences between herself and the locals. “When you look at people over there who are so happy with what they have, and you are grumbling about how you can’t buy your Tim Horton’s coffee… That really puts things into perspective. We take our blessings in Canada for granted.” 

Finally, following her co-op experiences, Christina’s faith in following her passions has grown even more pronounced: 

“Ultimately, your education from co-op is governed by you - and it’s about you. You need to get as much out of it as you can so you can figure out what you want to do when you don’t have JobMine to help you.” As she considers her future in graduate and medical school, Christina knows that no matter what, there will be a resource to help her reach her goals. “Finances are going to be something we have to grapple with our entire lives, no matter how great of a job we end up getting,” she says. “But don’t let it stop you from going after your passion. If it’s a great opportunity, do what you need to do to make it happen.”

 

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Panel to discuss events in Ukraine

This week, the UW Political Science Students Association (PSSA) is hosting an interdisciplinary discussion panel that will deal with recent developments in Ukraine, including ongoing issues in the Crimea region.

The panel will be held on Thursday, March 6 at 4:00 p.m. in EV1 350.

The panel will feature speakers from Waterloo's Political Science, Germanic & Slavic Studies, and History departments: Professor John Jaworsky, Professor Tetyana Reichert and Professor Alexander Statiev.

The speakers will engage in lively debate and scholarly discussion. The event is part of the PSSA's continuing series of discussion panels.

 

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FAUW issues call for director nominations

The Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo (FAUW) is seeking nominations for positions on the organization's Board of Directors.

All faculty members and librarians who have taken membership in the association are eligible to sit as directors.

"We need the involvement of its members from across the university in order to serve the membership effectively and to represent its concerns well to the other groups on campus, so please consider standing for one of these positions," says a statement from the association.

The board of directors meets biweekly on Thursday afternoons September through June.

Anyone interesting in serving or who would like to nominate a colleague for the position can send a nomination form (PDF) to Pat Moore at the Faculty Association Office, MC 4002.

The deadline for nominations is Friday, March 7 at 4:30 p.m.

 

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Wednesday's notes

The deadline for Waterloo Unlimited's Grade 10 program is this Friday, March 7. The five-day program runs from May 11 to May 13 with the theme of "Change".

"We live in the midst of change: technological change, social change, political change, environmental change," says the event's promotional material. "In modern times humankind has experienced an unprecedented rapidity of change. How do we adapt, or not adapt... and what are the consequences? Students will consider the perspectives of scientists, engineers, writers, and philosophers, as they examine the dynamics of “Change”."

While we're on the subject of deadlines, the deadline for submitting performance appraisal forms is fast approaching. All forms must be submitted to Human Resources by March 14. Appraisal forms should be submitted to the attention of Joan Kennedy, compensation and benefits analyst. Any manager, department or faculty requiring more time due to extenuating circumstances should discuss their specific needs with their HR advisor.

Take a deep breath: Plant Operations will be shutting down power to the air supply on the third floor of the Physics building on Thursday, March 6 from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. as renovations take place. This will affect fumehood exhaust, heating, ventilation, and A/C.

The Department of Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies will be holding its fourth annual SMF Symposium on Friday, March 21. The symposium is a one-day conference that highlights student and faculty research dealing with issues of social justice, personal and professional ethics, and responsible citizenship. The keynote address will be delivered by Andrea Doucet.

Here's the latest Nutrition Month "myth vs. fact" from Health Services dietician Sandra Ace.

Myth:  Almond “milk” has the same nutritional benefits as regular milk.

Fact:  Many recent studies provide evidence supporting the role nuts like almonds play in promoting overall health (including healthy weight management, heart health, and diabetes management). The same benefits don’t extend to almond beverages, however, which are made by roasting and grinding whole almonds and then blending them with water and other ingredients. Almond milk is increasing in popularity, but it is low in protein compared to regular or soy milk. If you regularly use almond milk, look for a brand that is fortified with nutrients normally found in cow’s milk, including vitamins A, D, B12 and B2 (riboflavin) and calcium. If you enjoy almond milk on your breakfast cereal in the morning, you can boost your protein intake by also eating a hard-boiled egg or a ¼ cup serving of unsalted nuts.

 

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