Disease as an international crisis has always interested me. Since I was younger I have wanted to help people. Through my high school science classes I realized that biology is very interesting. I decided that I wanted to combine my interest in science and my desire to help people with a profession in the healthcare field. This led me to pursue a nursing career. After I settled on becoming a nurse, I had several experiences internationally that helped me recognize that I was interested in traveling as well. I went on a mission’s trip to Malawi Africa and my senior trip to Europe started with a service project in Brussels, Belgium.
All of these experiences led me to the idea that I might want to become a nurse practitioner that works for an aide organization such as Doctors Without Borders. All of the details about this happening are still uncertain. That is when I decided my minor needed to be outside of the realm of science. I needed to get a broader idea of what humanitarian work looks like and how I could fit into the industry known as humanitarian aide. That is how I decided to pursue a minor in humanitarian affairs.
Before I took this class I had taken all of my humanitarian affairs credits except for this class, and another class that I am also taking this may-mester. As I took a global politics class, a class on genocide, a class about East Asian humanities, and a nuclear awareness class, I was a little confused about how all of these things fit into humanitarian aide. I started to hear some of the same terms thrown around in each of these classes, but each class was so specialized in its department, all of my peers (and in some cases my professors as well) were confused as to why I was in that class. Yet, I continued studying in these varied but interesting classes and learned so many things. So coming into this class I was very much looking forward to “figuring it all out”. I had an idea about what humanitarian aide looked like, and I knew it had the potential to be controversial, but that was it.
Now that I have taken this class, I understand a lot of things, but I am also left with more questions. I understand what aide organizations goals are. I understand (at least a little better) the politics that go into an aide organization, like where the funds come from, how the money is used, can money be accepted from the government, who do we help, who do we not help. All of these facets of humanitarian aide are things that I had never really thought about. I also think I knew in an academic way that if I were to go to a worn torn country to treat refugees or civilian victims that I would be putting myself in danger. Yet, through this class I have truly come to realize the sacrifice that it takes to provide the help that humanitarians such as Dr. Orbinski provide.
All of this new information has made me do some real thinking. I have decided that I need to get more experience with helping people internationally right now. After profiling Dr. Paul Farmer I was inspired by the fact that he started working in Haiti at such a young age. I really need to take advantage of my college years and figure out if I can/want to do healthcare work internationally. I have been looking up internships and training options with organizations like Doctors Without Borders, and Partners In Health. I have decided to become more active in the pursuit of my goals. This class has also helped me figure out the questions that I need and will need to ask about organizations that I potentially will work for. I need to find out what each organization stands for, how they are using their money, and if I agree with those two things. Before I took this class, I had not really had standards for humanitarian organizations as far as whom I would work for. Now I recognize that not all aide organizations are doing what is best for the people that they are “helping”, often they can be hurting the people instead. This class has given me a lot to think about and has opened my eyes to what humanitarian aide truly is.
All of these experiences led me to the idea that I might want to become a nurse practitioner that works for an aide organization such as Doctors Without Borders. All of the details about this happening are still uncertain. That is when I decided my minor needed to be outside of the realm of science. I needed to get a broader idea of what humanitarian work looks like and how I could fit into the industry known as humanitarian aide. That is how I decided to pursue a minor in humanitarian affairs.
Before I took this class I had taken all of my humanitarian affairs credits except for this class, and another class that I am also taking this may-mester. As I took a global politics class, a class on genocide, a class about East Asian humanities, and a nuclear awareness class, I was a little confused about how all of these things fit into humanitarian aide. I started to hear some of the same terms thrown around in each of these classes, but each class was so specialized in its department, all of my peers (and in some cases my professors as well) were confused as to why I was in that class. Yet, I continued studying in these varied but interesting classes and learned so many things. So coming into this class I was very much looking forward to “figuring it all out”. I had an idea about what humanitarian aide looked like, and I knew it had the potential to be controversial, but that was it.
Now that I have taken this class, I understand a lot of things, but I am also left with more questions. I understand what aide organizations goals are. I understand (at least a little better) the politics that go into an aide organization, like where the funds come from, how the money is used, can money be accepted from the government, who do we help, who do we not help. All of these facets of humanitarian aide are things that I had never really thought about. I also think I knew in an academic way that if I were to go to a worn torn country to treat refugees or civilian victims that I would be putting myself in danger. Yet, through this class I have truly come to realize the sacrifice that it takes to provide the help that humanitarians such as Dr. Orbinski provide.
All of this new information has made me do some real thinking. I have decided that I need to get more experience with helping people internationally right now. After profiling Dr. Paul Farmer I was inspired by the fact that he started working in Haiti at such a young age. I really need to take advantage of my college years and figure out if I can/want to do healthcare work internationally. I have been looking up internships and training options with organizations like Doctors Without Borders, and Partners In Health. I have decided to become more active in the pursuit of my goals. This class has also helped me figure out the questions that I need and will need to ask about organizations that I potentially will work for. I need to find out what each organization stands for, how they are using their money, and if I agree with those two things. Before I took this class, I had not really had standards for humanitarian organizations as far as whom I would work for. Now I recognize that not all aide organizations are doing what is best for the people that they are “helping”, often they can be hurting the people instead. This class has given me a lot to think about and has opened my eyes to what humanitarian aide truly is.