Topic: Making Changes
"A chicken in every pot!" That was the campaign promise of Herbert Hoover in 1928, a year before the Crash! It's easy to dream, important to set goals.
More important to find practical solutions to the problems that exist while the dreamers work out the details for greater things. At least, that's how it feels if you are working in the trenches.
David Werner is not a doctor. He's a world-renowned biologist who has worked for decades in community health programs, especially in Mexico.
In 1973, Werner, along with Jane Maxwell and Carol Thurman published a very practical guide for community leaders and health care workers. It gave life-saving information and illustrations on how to prevent and/or treat health problems. The title says it all: "Where There Is No Doctor."
This book has become the most widely used health education book in tropical and sub-tropical developing countries in the world! In fact, before the decade was out, I had ordered several copies for myself and others in remote areas.
In 1975, Werner founded The Hesperian Foundation. http://hesperian.org/about/ which I have continued to support monthly now offers an array of health care books for places where there is nothing CLOSE to universal health care. Places where health care as we know it would seem like utopia! Donations to Hesperian help them provide many, many copies free of charge to struggling workers with very limited training, in rural areas where health care, otherwise, is simply inaccessible.
A look at the list of materials available http://hesperian.org/books-and-resources/ will give you an idea of the scope of their growing work, made possible through volunteers and low-paid writers. How do I know?
This organization is so dear to my heart that several years ago I applied for a job as one of their writers, thinking that I could do the work through the Web. No, they wanted me to be able to sit down with their team to hammer out every detail. No quick productions--clarity on the very basic level wouldn't allow me to do it as I had dreamed of doing it.
Still not convinced, I proposed that I'd be willing to move to CA--until they told me the salary! That brought me back to earth, convincing me of why I love supporting them from a distance.
