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

 

Culture is a defining, yet distinguishing characteristic of many groups. Culture is an important aspect in many people’s lives, and I am certain, this is true for the people of Sierra Leone as well. We will have to be open-minded regarding the differences in culture and learn about theirs to best help the eventual implementation of our Sickle Cell Anemia diagnostic device. I have not yet travelled to Sierra Leone, but I know that it is not sufficient to make something and donate it to Sierra Leone. For this project to have a lasting impact, we need to show an understanding to their culture and market the product towards them, as they are not as receptive to Western medicine as Americans are. They still use traditional medicine as a primary source of healthcare and we have to respect that part of their culture. Another cultural phenomenon we have to be mindful of is that punctuality, or lack thereof. Timing is key for getting things done in American culture. Deadlines are set and schedules are created far in advance to propagate prompt completion. Sierra Leone seems to operate on a more lax schedule and that is something we will have to get used to. Finally, we also need to be mindful of our tone, phrasing and body language around the people in Sierra Leone. Khanjan mentioned that if you ask someone to do something, they will decline. We have to find a happy medium where we obtain the help we need from the natives, while not imposing ourselves and being bossy.

https://www.worldtravelguide.net/guides/africa/sierra-leone/history-language-culture/

 

Have you experienced or observed any of these social situations at home?

 

My mother, my father, my sister and I do not practice any religion and were all born in America, yet I still have experienced these situations at home. Firstly, my girlfriend of 18 months is Brazilian. Her mother and father were both born in Brazil, hence, Brazilian culture is important to her life. Through our relationship, I have learned about some key parts of Brazilian culture. As I mentioned, I believe that the Sierra Leoneans’ view on punctuality will take some getting used to, but I have some experience due to the Brazilian community my girlfriend has introduced me to and through service trips abroad. For large events, my girlfriend tells her Brazilian friends and family to come hours before the actual start time so they actually arrive on time. They have still been later after being told to come two hours early! Secondly, on my trip to Antigua, it was evident that “island time” is a preached philosophy there. Our first few days, our schedule was packed with meetings and activities to get the most out of our trip, however, we soon realized that our schedule was unrealistic. The natives are raised in an easygoing, free-spirited lifestyle and therefore are not as punctual and strict-scheduled as us Americans usually are. At home, my mother and martial arts sensei would always say “if you aren’t 10 minutes early, you are late”. While being on time is an important aspect in American culture, these trips allowed me to be more adaptable and accepting of spontaneity. Finally, I know American professionals are easy to piss off and too focused on an end goal. Often arguments arise, and hate can be prevalent in America. Hence, I have never seen people shout at each other, and make up so quickly afterwards. Their “palaver” is something so foreign to me as I have never seen anything like it.

 

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

 

In Sierra Leone, it is very respectable to build a relationship before conducting business matters. It helps remove tension and create trust. I believe we can definitely use this to our advantage for our project. If we can develop a relationship with some local groups, we can lessen their worries about the device we are thrusting upon them. Secondly, their acceptance of different cultures and easygoing nature will work to our advantage. I hope that they realize we are not trying to show superiority to them, but we are trying to make a difference using the resources we have. We have to make sure to not display an aura of patronization towards them as we are truly trying to help people live better lives in Sierra Leone. Finally, I believe the people in Sierra Leone will be receptive to the efforts we are making due to the strained medical facilities in the country. Life expectancies are declining and less than 1% of their annual government revenue is pushed towards healthcare. They are very emotionally intelligent people and I guarantee they will help us any way they can.

 

https://www.international.gc.ca/cil-cai/country_insights-apercus_pays/ci-ic_sl.aspx?lang=eng#cn-4

When I first heard about the Global Social Impact Fellowship, I was amazed by how expansive and interesting the research appeared. I had done lab research in previous semesters at Lehigh, and while that was great technical experience, it was limited to doing what I was told in the lab. It did not appear as there was a larger goal. Through GSIF, not only would I be working with like-minded dedicated undergraduates towards making an impact, but I would also have the opportunities to travel and be professionally published. My acceptance into the Sickle Cell Anemia Group is truly a blessing as I believe I can provide the most insight into this group while still being inquisitive and learning from my tenured teammates. I fully understand this program is going to be arduous and that mistakes will be made, but mistakes birth success. In the end, all the work we do will be worth it if we can put a smile on someone’s face or save someone’s life in Sierra Leone. I have always been an individual devoted to service and helping those in need, and this program allows me to do this in an educational and fulfilling manner.

I have no doubt that the seminar and the concurrent research will make me a better Chemical Engineering, and even a better Finance student. Although on the surface this group seems to best complement my Chemical Engineering skills, an important part of Finance is listening to your clients, being personable and complex problem solving, which this program heavily encourages. My chemical engineering knowledge, especially my understanding of antibodies and chemical reactions will be tested and improved through the research I am able to do with my team. One thing that significantly interests me in my group is the creativity beyond the diagnostic device. The group has a functional prototype, but there is still so much work to be done after that including interfacing, marketing the device’s benefits to the public, budgeting etc. My diverse skill set will aid the group as I can help with many different sections of the work. Finally, I am excited to have the opportunities to meet new people and make connections with undergraduates and professors through GSIF. These will be important connections that I will have through my Lehigh tenure and beyond, another amazing feature of this program.

The World Health Organization estimates that over one billion people could benefit from access to proper eyewear. This huge health crisis prevents at least one out of every seven people from living their best life because they do not have access to something we take for granted in developed parts of the world. Personally, I cannot imagine how life would be if I did not have access to proper eyewear. I needed several surgeries on my eyes at a very young age and I still would be almost legally blind without my eyeglasses. With clear vision, work would be more efficient, education levels would improve and life in developing countries would be safer. With these effects, the issue becomes one not only of health, but also of economic development. I believe the most logical solution would be creating buzz to encourage philanthropies and social enterprises to fund eyewear projects to the developing world. A campaign to propagate change has worked before, and I believe it would work here through the help of peers and a well organized campaign. “Buy one, Donate one” programs are the easiest solution, but it is unrealistic to say every company would buy into this philosophy. There are products on the market that, if distributed to developing nations, would significantly improve the lack of access to proper eyewear. Adaptive spectacles, introduced in 2003 by the Centre for Vision in the Developing World at Oxford, can accommodate a large range of prescriptions and, therefore, are the cheapest and most logical channel to pursue to solve this problem. Without adaptive spectacles, there would need to be an intermediate step in which people are eye tested and then glasses are made to suit their specific prescription. These adaptive lenses cannot negate the effects of an astigmatism, but these lenses would solve problems for a large sector of the population without access to proper eyewear. However, an underlying issue in the lack of access to proper eyewear is the lack of access to optometrists. Being an optometrist in a developing country would not be the most prosperous use of your doctorate degree, but eyewear distribution programs are bound to fail without professional expertise on-site. Service-minded professionals need to be funded to set clinics up in developing nations or the project will fail. 75% of Americans use some type of corrective eyewear, so it is plausible to say that we are cutting off 75% of the population in developing areas from their best life. As many countries in the world are teaming up to reverse the effects of climate change, the nations of the world need to team up in giving access to proper eyewear worldwide.

Sources:

https://www.college-optometrists.org/the-college/museum/online-exhibitions/virtual-spectacles-gallery/adaptive-eyewear.html

https://www.thevisioncouncil.org/sites/default/files/Q415-Topline-Overview-Presentation-Stats-with-Notes-FINAL.PDF