I would like to know if I have adequately introduced the context of the problem, the aspect that we intend to address through the current project, the goals, the plan, and the instrumental purpose.
INTER-AMERICAN FOUNDATION
PART 2: NARRATIVE
Families of Shada endured many changes evacuating Port Au
Prince after the 2010 earthquake. Yet, in
their new, underdeveloped
surroundings south of Cap Hatien many things have stayed the same for disadvantaged women and children, 95%
of whom are of African origin. Women still head households (44% in Haiti)
and 62.2 % contribute to the struggling economy through employment and
independent work (Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women [CEDAW], 2008). Beyond the gender discrimination they must struggle
to overcome, their contributions to economic
development and quality of life
are hampered by the same issue that contributes to the highest maternal
(350/100,000 live births) and infant (25/1000 live births) mortality rates in
the Western Hemisphere.
Many think of this as a health care system problem; however,
to a greater extent it is a lack of community education to equip Haitian women
to improve their own health outcomes
through the coordination of and informed
use of community resources. MamaBaby Haiti’s (MBH’s) next critical task is
to undertake with other grassroots community partners and the Inter-American
Foundation (IAF) a pilot education program designed to improve community knowledge of
and access strategies for family
planning, sexual health, and natal care throughout Shada and 3-7 fishing
villages south of Cap Hatien. This pilot
project, which will involve the addition of a mobile clinic to expand the reach
of MBH’s established facility, will 1) contribute knowledge to the development
of similar service networks in other communities, 2) improve the economic
productivity of area women by teaching them how to improve their own maternal
and infant health outcomes, and 3) prepare area women through their participation
at various levels in the project to lead out in addressing numerous development
issues in this region, which has experienced explosive, unmanaged population
growth since the 2010 earthquake.
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ReplyDeleteBetter! More to the point, succinct. I like the 3 points laid out, and the verbiage that lays out the urgent need for each piece. You've got a lot of supported facts as well (citations).
ReplyDeleteThroughout history, cultures and societies have been developed and grown by women. Educating women is how these kinds of changes are made. This project sounds to me to very much a case of 'teaching a man to fish' vs. 'giving a man a fish'. Great job.