GSIF Post 1

 

I enrolled in this course because I have a genuine interest to make films that matter. This past semester, I started exploring filmmaking – the techniques, styles and ethics behind it all. I took a class at Lafayette and it changed my academic course. Also, I have always had an interest in journalism. This past year I wrote for a newspaper covering the civic governance of the Southside community. In high school, I wrote for my school newspaper. I have always loved to write and I have always wanted to film. So, when I heard about the Safe Motherhood project I was genuinely over the moon to hear there was an opportunity like this at my school. First of all, I have a passion for community building. I work as a CSO officer, which means I interact heavily with the community partners on the Southside. Coming from Oakland, I have witnessed a lot of unnecessary disparity that was extremely deep rooted in the education system. I went to a school that always fought because they always had to fight for the basics – printers, paper, and the wages of teachers. We would strike or walkout, sometimes marching to city hall if it came down to that. So when I came to Lehigh, I still wanted to be involved in the world around me. It started with the CSO but with the GSIF I have the opportunity to be even more involved in the world. 

 

One thing that was discussed that really resonated with me was how this fellowship is going to push my boundaries outside of the classroom. Traditionally, I have been taught to listen to what I am told and do what I am supposed to. This model of authority based learning has followed me throughout my education – from elementary school to college. I am used to taking notes on what my professor in front of the class says. So, when the students mentioned how the majority of their work is independently structured I was beyond excited. Right now, I feel stagnant in my academics. I am getting tired of only soaking in what I am told and I look forward to learning more from the world around me. For example, during the panel there was a question asked about how to respectfully interact with the residents from Sierra Leone, and the panel agreed that the best thing they did was ask questions. We are learning from each other with every step of this process, not looking to be guided by our advisors. I have just started being exposed to this framework of learning, and I have a ways to go before I see my professor as my peer. So, this class will help me be a better student by pushing me to think for myself and learn from the people around me.

 

There is actually an eye care hospital in India that uses a philanthropic business model to meet the needs of people while making a marginally positive profit. This model, created by Dr. G. Venkataswamy, allows further access to affordable eye care in regions that have high rates of cataracts. Cataracts have become an epidemic in India, despite how easy it is to treat and prevent them with modern medicine. IIt is all too common for people in the regions Dr. V works with to have never received professional eye care their whole life. In fact, 75% of eye care cases in India are considered avoidable. The extreme poverty creates financial boundaries that prevent people from seeking preventative care and treatment and oftentimes communities go their whole life without realizing that this condition is treatable. There is a lack of treatment and a lack of awareness regarding eye care which means that proper eye care, even if financially accessible, is not always taken advantage of. So Dr. V charges regular patients a reasonable price which sponsors two free eye treatments for his clinic patients. Furthermore, his pop up clinics cater to the communities that need it most by being fairly mobile and moving from town to town. This business model has proven to be extremely successful. It allowed Dr. V to open up his own lense production factory above his clinic, creating eyeglasses for eight dollars apiece and distributing them to nearby clinics. This vertical production strategy lowers the cost of production and increases the rate of distribution. So, I propose that Lehigh partners with Aravind Eye Care Systems to send students interested in ophthalmology to India to learn more about this business practice and work with Dr. V’s team to expand his realm of influence. Maybe, with the help of interdisciplinary collaboration and Lehigh funding, Aravind Eye Care can bring its mission statement to other medically isolated communities in other parts of the world. 

One thought on “GSIF Post 1

  1. Hi Kendall,
    Great work! Dr. V’s work is a great case study in addressing a complex social issue – I was going to send it to the class as an example and am glad to see you found it on your own!

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