Sandra Cortina, a masteral degree candidate of Public Health concentrating in Global Health and Marginalized Populations from the Simon Fraser University, Vancouver Canada is with HAIN for three months as part of her internship program. Sandra is here to complete her course requirement to undergo a practicum in a developing country where she can apply public health concepts and gain practical experience in the field. She is involved in HAIN’s projects on reproductive health and E-health. Sandra also joins some community visit activities of the Council for Health and Development.
Sandra shares her thoughts about her Manila experience...
"My internship at HAIN (pronounced ha-een to those non-Tagalogers!) has up to now been an amazing experience and I look forward to my practicum where I will be researching reproductive health and the needs of community health workers. Although I have only been with HAIN for one month and the project that I am assigned to is soon to start, I have –to a great extent-practiced how a true international Non Governmental Organization works. Whether it’s preparing the background literature for future projects, attending national dissemination forums, participating in advocacy campaigns, or just updating the HAIN blogsite, I am taking away a lot more than I had realized. For the most part, I have come to appreciate the diversity of work that NGOs do. Although each organization is unique to their own initiatives, they must still work in a coordinated manner with other diverse groups and stakeholders to accomplish their goals. In addition to the varied work that goes into HAIN, above all I have come to realize the importance of all the work that comes out of HAIN. My office mates are all dedicated individuals who are committed to improving existing health information. By collecting and providing health data, we can not only start health initiatives, but we can also use it to empower people to act in response to their own health challenges, imperative to the developing world."
No comments:
Post a Comment