1. Give three compelling examples of how cultural issues affect your project.

There are many cultural issues that contribute to maternal and infant mortality in the Philippines. Most of these issues originate from myths that have become ingrained in Filipino culture. One such myth is that pregnant women should eat as little as possible to “prevent” the baby from coming out too big. This rumor is most likely a consequence of Filipino women’s tiny stature – as most pregnant women weigh less than 100 pounds during pregnancy. In turn, it makes sense that having a large baby would make the pregnancy and birthing much more difficult. However, pregnant women should be encouraged to eat a lot during pregnancy – especially healthy meats and vegetables as this will ensure that the baby is getting nutrients. Another issue is that expecting mothers are advised to resist exercise and work during pregnancy, meaning they are often on bedrest and become weak leading up to birth. This contributes to a much more difficult birthing process than women who remain active and fit during pregnancy. However, this ideology has become so engrained in Filipino culture that is difficult to convince women otherwise. Another cultural issue is that Filipinos believe that feeding their newborns formula is a sign of wealth and prestige. As such, women who are able to breastfeed resort to watering down formula to feed their babies. Celebrity formula endorsements contribute to this notion, even though it has been proven that breastmilk is the most nutritious vitamin and mineral source to newborn babies.

2. Have you experienced or observed any of these social situations at home? Describe at least three such situations.

Although it is less common to experience these sorts of situations at home, they nevertheless do occur in some capacities. The most common social situation being women preferring to feed their baby formula opposed to breastmilk. Even women who can breastfeed oftentimes choose to buy formula for a variety of reasons. Some women do not have the time, some find the idea of breastfeeding uncomfortable, some are unable to due to body piercings, and some simply believe that formula is a fine substitute for breastmilk due to advertising, etc. Another social situation that mirrors cultural birthing practices in the Philippines are pregnant women being bedridden. During my aunt’s pregnancy with my cousin she was bedridden for three months and ultimately delivered via C-section because this bedrest made natural birthing riskier. Additionally, although this example may seem counterintuitive – as it is the opposite of the cultural views toward birthing practices/ pregnancy in the Philippines – it nevertheless relates to the stigma regarding weight gain during pregnancy. I remember when my mom’s friend was pregnant, she was yelled at by her OBGYN for not gaining enough weight during her pregnancy. The doctor warned her that her child would be too small and sickly, leaving my mother’s friend hysterical. This situation illustrates how in both cultures – Filipino and United States – it is common for people to comment on a mother’s weight gain and surmising how it will affect the newborn baby.

3. Give three examples of cultural practices that can be leveraged to addressed community / market problems.

An example of how cultural practices can address problems about birthing practices in the Philippines is having Filipino celebrities endorse breastfeeding. They can initiate advertising campaigns to discuss the benefits of breastfeeding. Furthermore, having celebrities renounce formula as a substitute to breastfeeding with newborns can make a tremendous impact. Additionally, educating women in the community about the benefits of exercise and maintaining mobility during pregnancy can reduce issues related to weakness during birthing. In turn, this will make birthing much safer and easier. Lastly, having doctors inform expecting mothers about the importance of eating nutrients during pregnancy will help mothers realize how vital this is to their babies’ health. Education is the most important aspect of addressing this community problems, but it integral to ensure that this education is presented in ways that will resonate with the Filipino community. Since Filipinos look up to Western celebrities so much (as seen by their ability to convince them to use breastmilk) perhaps having Western celebrities or people of influence discussing these tips will compel the locals to try this. Once locals see results, this tips will spread through “word of mouth” and have a lasting effect on Filipino birthing practices.

Why did you enroll in this course (motivation, prior interests)?

I have never felt as passionate for a program during my time at Lehigh than I have for this. I am not interested in it for the credit or resume aspect of it. On the contrary, the prospect of preparing for this excites me. I don’t mind having 4 hours of class a week, in addition to, related work outside of such classes. I look forward to collaborating with my team members to enact change. Additionally, I am excited for the reflection and analysis phase of the project next fall. I want to learn from this experience and publish our findings to instill other successful projects. This is something I really envision my future self doing and I am certain that I have the skills, work ethic, experience with research, and passion necessary to commit myself to such a project for potentially the rest of my time at Lehigh.

How do you envision this course making you a better student?

When envisioning this fellowship, I see it supporting my personal and professional aspirations in countless ways. First and foremost, it will help me develop the skills necessary to carry out future research projects. To have prepared so intensely and in advance will help me develop a work ethic for long-term projects, something I have yet to do in my college career. It will make me see through with my commitments as this is not something to take lightly or do the bare minimum in. Everything done in this project has a real tangible impact, something I am certain will give me clear direction in my plans after graduation. Additionally, it will allow me to form connections with locals and network throughout a region where I would otherwise have little exposure in. This is something I can potentially continue during the rest of my time at Lehigh. Personally, I see this as aiding the development of my character. It will challenge me and force me to become comfortable being uncomfortable. I will learn how to interact and develop relationships with people with entirely different upbringings than myself.

The World Health Organization estimates that over one billion people who need eyeglasses do not have access to them. The vast majority of these people live in developing countries like Kenya where there is barely one optometrist per one million people. Given the high poverty levels, access to eyeglasses is almost nonexistent. Lack of proper eyeglasses severely impacts people and their livelihoods by decreasing their productivity at work, limiting or eliminating new opportunities, affecting their quality of life, deteriorating their general health and possibly leading to (preventable) blindness. What solution do you propose to address this problem?

One way to address this problem would be to create inexpensive, easy-to-make eyeglass prescriptions that people with limited skillsets can make. This way people in low to middle income countries can produce these glasses within their countries and not pay to export it from elsewhere. Each country could make glasses out of materials that are readily available in their respective countries. For instance, the frames do not need to be made out of wood if there is not a supply of wood within the country. Instead, they could use bamboo to make frames, etc. This will also boost employment opportunities within each country. To compensate for the lack of optometrists, there could be manuals distributed explaining how to test for eyesight, eye conditions, etc. This manual can be duplicated and could be a one-step guide to figure out what eye problems someone has and which glasses to make based on the condition.