1st Place
DORA ENYONAM ADOBOE
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM SCHOOL OF PUBIC HEALTH
MY CONTRIBUTION TO A BETTER WORLD
Loud sounds of wailing from our compound woke me up. I sat up immediately on my
sleeping mat as I wondered about what was happening. Memories of the previous evening
came flooding back into my mind. Our next door neighbor was having a difficult child
birth the previous night. One of the traditional birth attendants was called in
to tend to her. My friends and I stopped playing on the compound. We huddled together
and waited anxiously to hear the cry of the new born baby. I saw my grandmother
come out of our neighbor’s room accompanied by Esi’s mother. They had
a sad expression on their faces and we could all sense that there was something
wrong. The older women around told us to go home because it was getting dark. My
grandmother took me home, but I could not go to sleep. I kept thinking about Esi
the young woman in labor. She took good care of me anytime my grandmother was out
of town and I had come to love her as member of my family. She was looking forward
to having her first baby and jokingly promised she would name the baby after me
if she gave birth to a baby girl. I closed my eyes and said a prayer for her.
I must have drifted off to sleep, because when I opened my eyes I could see the
sun rising beyond the hills at the eastern part of the village. I dressed up immediately.
My grandmother entered the bedroom quietly as I was about to leave. I could see
tears in her eyes. Noticing the confusion on my face, she hugged me and told me
Esi passed away at dawn. She died as she was being transported to a nearby clinic
which was several miles from our village. Both mother and baby were pronounced dead
upon arrival at the clinic. My little body shook as I cried profusely in my grandmother’s
arms; the wailings from the compound seemed louder than ever. I was five years old
at the time, living with my grandmother in Begoro a village in Ghana, when this
incident happened. It was very typical to hear early morning wailings in that village
which signified the mourning of the dead. The village of Begoro had no health care
facility. The inhabitants of the village had to travel several miles in order to
receive health care, many dying in the process. The people tend to rely on the traditional
healers and herbalists in the village when they needed health care. As a child I
wondered at what could be done to alleviate the situation. I made up my mind to
take care of the sick when I grew up.
I became involved in health issues when I had the privilege of being the health
prefect of my high school. Assisting the school nurse and interacting with students
who were ill was an eye opener that instilled in me the desire to help people who
were ill. The experience also heightened my sensitivity to other people and the
difficulties they faced, and my view of education began to take on a new dimension.
I became curious about what I was being taught at school and how that knowledge
could be harnessed to benefit mankind. I enjoyed the critical and analytical thinking
that science entailed. It became an obvious choice of major for me since it incorporated
most of what I enjoyed studying.
A year of working at a Maternal Child Health and Family Planning Clinic in a district
in Ghana after high school as a service to the nation enhanced my experience in
the field of public health and also gave me the opportunity to contribute positively
to the quality of life and health of the underprivileged. Traveling to various villages
with the public health nurses and doctors to immunize children, conduct antenatal
and postnatal care for women, provide family planning services, counsel teenagers
about reproductive health, and conduct school health inspections made me aware of
most of the loopholes in the public health system in Ghana. I also came to appreciate
the importance of public health and the ability to work effectively with others
in a team. Having lived in a village for most of my childhood, I was able to identify
with the villagers, and often I served as the team’s liaison in explaining
our mission to them and in counseling them. They accepted me as a member of their
community. One vivid example was during the national polio immunization day when
I was called upon to explain the importance of the polio vaccine to their children
because the villagers were reluctant to have their children vaccinated. They had
heard rumors that the vaccine was a means by which the white man wanted to transmit
HIV/AIDS to their children in order to eradicate them from the earth. I was able
to convince them about the importance of the vaccine and also help build the trust
that was needed for the administration of the vaccine to their children. Routine
visits to most of the villages revealed the ignorance the women had about immunization
and pre- and postnatal care. They preferred to see herbalists and traditional healers
to give them concoctions to take instead. They did not want the white man’s
medicine, but after being educated, they were finally receptive. I was glad to have
been involved in making a positive difference in the lives of these women. They
began to live healthier lifestyles and healthier babies. That year, there was a
significant decrease in the maternal and child mortality rates in the villages in
which we worked.
Knowing that I needed to have a tertiary education in order to acquire the skills
I needed in public health, I sought and gained admission to University of Ghana.
Majoring in biochemistry and microbiology provided me many skills in laboratory
work that continue to enhance my research work in epidemiology. As an executive
of my hall of residence and the vice president of the student’s Representative
Council Women’s Commission, I dealt with issues concerning women on campus
and also helped female students to realize themselves as important resources for
the advancement of society. Being with the commission also gave me the opportunity
to liaise with non governmental organizations to promote health, education, and
the overall status of women and children in the country. I was involved in teaching
illiterate women how to read and write and also perform basic mathematical calculations
to help them manage the money they made from their trade.
Working at Alpha Medical Center gave me more insight and experience in the field
of public health. Working in the laboratory, surgery, and other departments, I realized
that most of the illnesses that patients reported at the medical center could have
been prevented before their onset. I was trained as a youth counselor at the medical
center and my duty was to counsel the youth in that community on reproductive health,
violence against women, and provide emotional support to girls who had been physically
and sexually abused. I also helped in training other youth in peer counseling.
The public health system in Ghana, which is typical of most public health systems
in Africa, needs reformation. There are villages in the country which have no access
to healthcare due to distance, insufficient public health personnel, lack of funds,
and the overall lack of political interest of policy makers. The challenge of achieving
health for all worldwide is enormous, especially in Africa, in the face of increasing
rates of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, high infant and maternal mortality rates,
malnutrition, poverty, lack of potable drinking water, and poor sanitation. The
answer to most of these problems lies in sound and effective public health interventions.
The continent must focus more on public health than on medicine.
Currently I am a student at the School of Public Health pursuing a master’s
degree in public health. By acquiring a public health degree with concentration
in epidemiology, I hope to acquire the necessary skills I need to train more public
health personnel in Africa, in order to increase the numbers and capacity of such
personnel. This will help create greater availability of health services, increase
the promotion of adolescent, maternal and child health, and increase the prevention
of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS in communities in Africa. I hope to
work with the World Health Organization and research organizations to conduct and
support research on the diagnosis, care, and treatment of HIV/AIDS infected victims
throughout their lives including clinical studies of therapeutic interventions.
I am also a current member of the Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) which is part
of the Health Action AIDS in the United States. We are involved in a comprehensive
education and advocacy campaign with the goal of securing adequate resources from
the US government to provide prevention, treatment, and care programs to stop the
spread of HIV/AIDS in resource poor settings worldwide. A Physicians for Human Rights
Students Chapter was recently formed at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
(UAB) with the aim of raising awareness and understanding of the fundamental connections
between health and human rights, educating current and future health professionals
about their roles as advocates for human rights, and increasing the involvement
of students, doctors, nurses, and other health professionals in the work of Physicians
for Human Rights. I was involved in organizing a PHR national conference at UAB
which took place in the on the 5th of March this year. Health professional students,
law students, human rights advocates, and others interested in helping to fight
the HIV/AIDS pandemic came from all over the nation to attend this conference. Participants
were educated, inspired, and energized through various workshops and seminars to
gain a greater understanding of the relationship between health and human rights.
The workshops and seminars also addressed the various ways in which they could use
their voices, knowledge and advocacy skills to achieve equity in health and justice
both domestically and globally.
I may have contributed little in my efforts to make this world a better place; however
I hope I have started a spark that will continue to make a positive impact in this
world. Yesterday was a lesson, tomorrow is a promise. Today is all we have to contribute
our quota in making the world a better place than it was yesterday.
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2nd Place
BAKHTIAR S. AKHUNJI
ST. CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY
MY CONTRIBUTION TO A BETTER WORLD
A very popular Chinese proverb says, "By nature all human beings are alike, but
by education widely different." In order to contribute to a better world I think
nothing could be more important than obtaining higher education. It should be the
real education that teaches us to be a better person with better heart and knowledge.
To me, getting higher education in a foreign country is a more rewarding choice
for many students who aspire to make a difference in their social, cultural, and
professional lives to contribute more to the world. I, myself, am one of those students.
It is very important to International students to choose a country for higher education
that can help them to have the highest opportunity to better educate themselves
and to meet students from the rest of the world and to know how the other people
of the world are surviving. There are many countries in the world that offer higher
educational opportunities to international students. The United States, especially,
has welcomed international students into higher education for a long time and has
excellent diversity inside the country and at the educational institutions. With
more than 3,000 recognized colleges and universities across the country, the United
States opens its door to thousands of international students whose participation
creates unity in diversity. To me the benefits are mutual because by this the campus
gets international diversity and recognition. For the students, it is an opportunity
of a life time to experience world cultures and get a higher education. That is
why I am working on my degree at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota where students
from 80 other countries are attending. The university with its "tradition of excellence
and opportunity" has been consistent in attracting students from almost any mapped
region of the world to create not only better graduates but also better human beings.
Nevertheless, there has been a substantial expansion in different programs for international
students at the SCSU campus.
At the very beginning, I came to USA as an International student from Bangladesh
for my bachelor degree. For those of you who do not know about Bangladesh, I want
to present a little idea. Geographically, People’s Republic of Bangladesh
is a country of southern Asia in the northeastern portion of the Indian subcontinent
bordered on the west, north, and east by India, on the southeast by Myanmar (formerly
known as Burma), and on the south by the Bay of Bengal. Since 1971, the year of
independence, the country has been considered as a third world country because of
its poor economy.
Ever since I am advancing toward my degree at SCSU, I think every single day is
making me a more responsible person to work for my country as well as for a better
world. As I am from a poor country of the world and did experience a lot of sufferings
of the people with my own eyes, I know how much work needs to be done to make this
earth a better place. Since my first day in USA, I have been trying to keep up my
positive attitude to reduce the gap between different nationalities. I am an active
member of the Bangladesh Student Association and Model United Nations at SCSU. With
these two organizations I try to represent my own identity and my responsibility
as a world citizen.
Firstly, as a citizen of Bangladesh, I consider myself as a student ambassador of
the country. I try to uphold my culture on campus and share it with other students,
faculties and staffs who are from 81 different countries of the world. I make a
lot of effort to convey the friendship messages towards other people. With our cultural
night presentation I try to show the local community that there are many things
to be learned from a different culture. Through the ethnic songs and dances, the
audiences get a chance to experience authentic differences between cultures. And
if people start learning it from today, then there will be a very small gap between
the cultures in terms of accepting other’s view. Many people attend the cultural
show every year and most of them really feel like they learn something about the
culture every time they come.
Furthermore, I like to go to the local junior high schools to do presentations on
my country every now and then. It helps me to communicate with the children of the
USA and help them to have a different perspective about the world outside the USA.
I also like to share my experiences in class interactions. I help other students
to learn something they do not know about the world and try to educate myself from
their point of view. Also, I volunteer as a note taker for the disability services
in my campus. Because I think disability is not a disease, nor is it a lifetime
punishment for committing any crime. It is an unfortunate legacy that burdens normal
living practices for a human being. Although disability is a familiar term to us,
it is unbelievable that one tenth of the worlds’ population live with some
kind of disability. It is our prime responsibility to work for these people. I did
notice that even if we are stepping into the most modern era of our life time, still
a person with disability represents the most marginalized group of societies in
any country. Human rights violations against disabled people are very common, hitting
hard on humanity. Not only in the least developed countries, but also in the developed
countries around the world, disabled people are neglected on a routine basis. I
do believe, to create a better world we need to facilitate to build up the confidence
of persons with disabilities and make them happy in the long run. The continuing
compliance of action and thought is essential at different levels for accommodating
these people to mainstream life. I think that with a little bit of extra love and
care for these people our world can be much brighter than tomorrow. If the disabled
are given proper facilities to bloom their talent, half the battle with advancement
can be won.
To better this world the biggest contribution will be how a person reacts to the
people outside his/her own country. I am sincere in this issue; whenever there is
a natural or man made catastrophe I react in a caring way that shows my concern
on world issues. I think human beings are known by their actions not by the words
they use. I think about the children of the world, in particular, the children who
are affected by war and violence or by any natural calamities. As a leader of the
Model United Nations on my campus I try to be concerned about the political issues
of the world. It is important for international students to react on such issues.
Students from different cultures and diverse backgrounds are continuously in need
to have their voices to be heard. I protest against war and do it in a pro active
fashion not as a reactive way. Because I think pro-activism can even stop the planning
for the next war but re-activism can only create sympathy. Natural disasters like
the recent Tsunami in my part of the world create concern for the victims. I did
work as a leading fundraiser from my country on my campus to help out the people
who need some financial assistance during the aftermath.
My way of thinking is very simple that is "pray for what you want but work for the
things you need". I keep working for the things that need to be done. I do think
about the generations to come and want to make it a better place for them.
All I want for my endeavor is to make this world "a little bit of paradise". I know
that every in order for one’s good work to grow it needs to start with a promise
and if the focus of the promise is maintained the work will never stop growing.
I want to sing the same song which Pop singer Michael Jackson once sang, "Heal the
world. Make it a better place for you and for me, and the entire human race. There
are people dying, if you care enough for the living, make a better place for you
and for me." As my study continues in a place where students from more than 80 countries
of the world are gathered, with so many different motivations, I work as much as
possible to connect this people with an idea of a better world, the world people
always dream about. It is my dream, the craving of my heart, which people of the
world will come up with kind hearts and glorious merit for tomorrow. Thus, they
will bring prospect for a better world. All of us are looking forward to that day.
Hopefully, our wishful thinking works and will lead us to our destiny.
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3rd Place
SYED B. MOHIDDIN
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
MY CONTRIBUTION TO A BETTER WORLD
When I first read the topic of the essay, I was eager to get started on it. I have
rarely seen a person, including myself, not complain about how bad this world is
and how things need to be amended. With so many people fussing about so many different
things around them, there should certainly be myriad ways to contribute to make
this world a better place to live. Jumping on the bandwagon of preachers, I too
was able to quickly put down a list of things to be changed in this world to improve
its state of affairs – spread peace, feed the poor, take care of the sick
and on and on. As I was patting myself on the shoulder for coming up with cool ideas
to make a better world, a state of reasoning and sense of reality dawned on me and
I was asking myself how I would actually implement these ideas. What will it take
to get these noblest of the ideas put into action – is it money? Do I need
to be the next billionaire or is it power that would make men listen to my talk
and carry out the actions. Why would they listen to me anyway? The barrage of these
confusing questions left me bitter and I was no more enthusiastic about writing
the essay. I felt empty and was sad that I will also end up to be just one of those
that preach but never act. I was finding excuses not to write this essay and just
move on as I was before. However, someone dear to me insisted I should not give
up and do the writing.
I was then thinking about all those people who made a difference in my life –
who made this world a better place for me. What was it that they did to me and the
world around me that makes me remember them and their actions. I was surprised at
the endless list of people that came to my mind – from my kind parents who
took care of me when I was a helpless child, my teacher who practiced and taught
flawless manners, my friends who stuck with me in rain and shine, to the unknown
stranger who smiled at me on the road and made me forget all my worries even it
be for a moment and the list kept coming to my mind without an end. Not to forget
the dear one who saved me from the misery of self-blame I would have experienced
had I turned away from taking this essay seriously. Hope seems to return and I was
truly convinced that neither money nor power is needed to spread a little joy and
happiness in this world. Even a little act that brings a smile on at least one person’s
face would make justice to the time spent writing this essay and would contribute
to a better world. However, I could do more than that.
I realized that what I am today is an essence of the environment I was exposed to
as a child. Every one enters this world as a child, an eager bud that wants to grow
into a blooming flower – not only pleasant to the sight but also fragrant
to the nose. The positive impact of my schoolteachers was so profound on me that
memories of their selfless behavior, impeccable manners, upright character and attitude
to serve are still vivid in my memory. I have found the finest of men and women
in the profession of teaching. The titles of "Brothers and Sisters", as we lovingly
referred to them in a missionary school, were literally true in meaning. They loved
us irrespective of our race, religion, color. This was my first taste of true love
besides my parents. Their acquaintance left an indelible mark on my heart –
to be like them… to serve the budding flowers, the children of today, the
full blooming and fragrant flowers of tomorrow. To me, this was the highest level
of service and satisfaction.
Even as I work for myself day and night, towards my education, I remind myself of
the promise to fulfill. No action, however insignificant shall go unnoticed; it
will influence someone somewhere in this world. Working on that principle, I have
spent time, effort and paltry amounts of money that I could afford as a student
to organizations that care for the children of our world. It is only with good education
and favorable environment will the children grow up to make this world a better
place and it is every adult’s responsibility to ensure this development. Children
who grow up with a sense of universal love and tolerance will put an end to the
existing problems of our world. As a child, I was taught human life is more sacred
than anything in this world, yet, we see thousands of lives wasted over petty differences
arising due to race, religion and ideologies. What right do we have to share a world
that is not ours if we cannot learn to live in harmony and peace? Mother Theresa
has been a remarkable source of encouragement, symbol of universal peace and unfailing
love. Both Mother Theresa and Buddha experienced the same suffering of the people
and felt compassionate about them. While Buddha renounced this world for its suffering,
the Mother took up the challenge and contributed so much that the world will be
in her debt for eternity. She set a fine example to follow. She neither had money
nor power, yet touched the lives of millions of people directly and comforted their
aching souls with nothing but pure love. Love, that each one of us can afford to
contribute for a better tomorrow.
I would like to take up my part of the task for educational and medical help that
the world could use. I would like to be a teacher at all levels, from kindergarten
to university. The constant human touch with children is essential to mould the
buds in to beautiful flowers. Education is vital to expand the horizons of understanding
and make children appreciate the beauty of diversity. Although, we find human race
in such a splendid variety of forms, languages, colors and beliefs, we are all very
similar in that we can feel, experience and show the love for humanity and associate
with each other, no matter what. All we need is a little broader perspective of
looking at things. I am happy that my education in United States of America has
been the primary source of building such broader perspective. Had not for this international
experience, I would have been deprived of this overall perspective and would cling
to my own country, my own people and my own beliefs. It reminds me of a beautiful
tale of a few blind men. Once upon a time, a few blind men stumbled upon a sleeping
elephant. None of them had seen the elephant and had no idea of what it is like.
This was their chance to get a grasp of what they used to hear. Each one touched
the elephant from his own place – someone held on to its leg, someone to its
tail, someone to its tusk, someone to its belly. Not wanting to let go of their
real experience with the elephant, each one started describing how the elephant
is like – the one who held on to the leg said the elephant is hard like a
wall, the one who held on to its tail said the elephant was like a rope, the one
who held on to its tusk said the elephant was smooth and sharp, the one who held
onto its belly said that it was soft like a couch. Each of them was right in his
own perspective, but none of them was right about the elephant overall. This is
what not having education does to a person, makes the person blind to others perspectives
and deprives the person from appreciating the beauty of this world. Having tasted
the sweetness of finding unity in diversity, I would like to help others and especially
the budding flowers of tomorrow taste it too.
I believe in the proverb, "action speaks louder than words". Therefore, no matter
how enthusing my words appear to be, they are of no use until I put them in action.
I have learnt it is imprudent to wait for favorable conditions to take action, rather
conditions turn favorable when we take action. Therefore, I would like to end this
piece of writing by reminding everyone including myself first, that action, however
insignificant shall bear its fruit. A fruit, whose taste shall be sweet and memorable,
and eventually these little actions make up everything around us in this world,
just like little drops of water make up the vast oceans. The trick however is not
to give up and loose hope that we cannot contribute anything substantial, but rather
to continue doing the actions, even minute ones. A winner never quits and the quitter
never wins!
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ISO reserves the right to refuse publication of materials submitted and to edit
that which is accepted for publication. The articles do not necessarily reflect
the opinion, policy or purpose of ISO.
Now that summer is almost over and school is about to start students are exited
about new learning opportunities. In our next issue we will provide you with some
useful information about t where to buy school books at a reasonable prize, if you
have any information that you want to share with other students please email it
to us at customercare@isoa.org before 08/25/2005 and we will publish it in our next
E-Newsletter
The E-newsletter will be published on 09/01/2005. It will be available online @
ISO’s website – www.isoa.org as well.
We are looking forward to hearing from you.
Ana Salazar
International Student Representative
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