Spring 2010 Synergy 20
was finally clean. After he bandaged her wounds, Dr. Chen talked to her and told her that she had to go to the regional hospital. He said if she waited any longer, they would really have to amputate the leg. On certain days, the team deviated from the usual routine of clinic work. One day, they held a brigade at the national police headquarters. Instead of the typical ailments found in the villages, the team encountered soldiers with a broad range of injuries, both physical and mental. A large number of soldiers suffered psychological problems, as mental and psychological problems are often overlooked in third world countries. One patient, who had suffered a machete to the head, was left with a crater in his head and a scarred gash to the hand. The soldier had lain in a field for two days; he had been fortunate enough to obtain radio contact and call for help. In another case, a girl who had been using a machete to cut down trees had hacked her hand at an angle that narrowly avoided causing her to lose all motion in her hand. For some, one of the most eye-opening experiences was seeing 19 and 20 year-old women with three or five children. In Honduras, being 28-year-old is considered old, as opposed to in the United States where 28 is the age when a woman would typically start having kids. “Our on-the-ground guide told us that men would impregnate women as a sign of masculinity,” said Mao. “During a certain season, they’d travel into the mountains and while they’re there, they have other women. When the men come back down at the end of the season, they have to get their wives pregnant. If they don’t, then they’re not seen as masculine. It’s very strange for me to see young mothers who are around the same age as me, honestly. But as an outsider, I can’t really judge. It’s hard to understand a culture unless you’ve been there for a long time.” Though the brigade successfully offered medical attention and supplies to Honduran villages
in the course of a week, members of the team recognized the limitations of their weeklong visit. “I think if you look things in terms of community development, there’s not much you can change with just a one week visit,” Mao said. “There are so many things involved in creating a sustainable model. It’s not just Medical Brigades – you need all of the Global Brigades – Water Brigades, Environmental Brigades, etc. With so much poverty and lack of accessibility to resources, we really offer only a limited service.” Alex Chen, one of the co-chairs of the Public Health committee, also saw the limitations of the volunteer work in place. “Frankly, our impact as it stands right now is rather small,” Chen said. “We are able to obtain a massive amount of drugs and medicines, but they aren’t always what is needed. They aren’t always right. Or, if they are, we might not have enough. That’s the first concern. Second, we are treating the problem’s symptoms, not its causes. Granted, treating the causes is more difficult and time consuming, and already many groups, including Global Brigades, is trying to address the underlying issue of poverty, with varying degrees of success. We are trying to empower individuals to have more knowledge and skill to take care of their own health, but we are only the beginning. “It seems, unfortunately, that too much of the work being done now is dictated by Westerners. Not once do I think we asked the Hondurans what they needed. Did someone else ask them? I’m not sure. If we asked, would it have mattered? Maybe not. Perhaps they would have said something so that we would prescribe medicines, or something they thought we wanted to hear. I think that success in battling poverty will come when efforts are spearheaded by Hondurans (or the locals, in general). If they want our assistance, we will be happy to do so. In this manner, it seems our primary responsibility at the moment then is to help spur this movement.”