Essay Example on Global Women's Health: Mamma Seesay's Story

Introduction

Health, especially of the vulnerable population (mothers, children), is of great importance. In an educated age, women’s health remains highly neglected. A situation that is evident in Third World Countries of Africa. The paper aims to expound on the state of Global Women’s Health and also to answer some questions on the same.

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Description

Courtesy of video, a story is told of the unfortunate case of a young expectant mother, Mamma Seesay, 18, who is expecting twins. She gives birth to one twin at home. To deliver the other, she is forced to leave her remote village on the outskirts of Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown. The hospital is 10 miles away, and by the time of arrival, she is exhausted. The baby is born alive, but the mother dies from exhaustion and excessive bleeding.

The story presents a grim picture of how poor women’s healthcare is in Sierra Leone. By statistics, on average, five mothers will die in childbirth every day, and there are at least 900 mortalities for every 100,000 live births. The figures exclude countless unreported births and maternal deaths that occur in the villages. Because most medical facilities are usually far, so many expectant mothers prefer to give birth at home.

The experience was an eye-opener on the high level of neglect for a vulnerable population (mothers and their unborn children). The weather and terrain were relatively favorable for the research. Thus is was able to follow Seesay’s unfortunate ordeal. The absence of qualified medical personnel, excellent facilities, and poor infrastructure (roads, electricity) all add to the troubles of successful childbirth in the West African nation. Things are worse for those residing in distant, remote villages.

The study has also revealed an underlying unlawful and archaic practice among African Communities in Sierra Leone. Underage marriages. Seesay was having her second set of twins at the tender age of 18. This means that she got forced into marriage before she had reached the legal age to engage in marriage. Probably by some uneducated or greedy parents. Uneducated in that they do not know the universal age threshold of 18 years to legalize marriage. Greedy in that they get the bridewealth from the Groom’s family.

Formal education is poor in rural Sierra Leone. People cling archaic and illegalized traditions of early marriage. The reason why it is illegal is that; the young girls are not ready both Physically and mentally to give birth to children. Their education, recognized as a basic global need, will also be interrupted by the early marriage. Not to mention the psychological trauma that the girls go through. They have to marry men sometimes the age of their fathers.

Learning Experience

Education, by dissemination, proves to be valuable. Academics and lecturers have stated that education is power. If the young girls and their parents had a good education, they would know their rights and responsibilities. Extended to not forcing their children into early marriages, knowing they have a responsibility to protect their children from such harmful practices and that it is illegal to deny their children education and then a promising future.

Young mothers are dying because there is no personnel with the skills and knowledge to help them safely deliver. There are also no enlightened people to educate parents on the importance of education and the fatal results of choice to push their underage children into early marriages.

To fully understand the plight of the young girls and women’s health in general, one has to immerse into their experiences. The textbooks in school focus on providing facilities and medical personnel. It works but is a skewed representation of the issues at hand. A highlight should be put on creating a system to progressively educate the parents on the ills of some cultural practices.

If the community is well informed of the legal and health implications of pre-mature marriage, and they reform, the problem will have been dealt with at the root. When a tree turns brown, even with plenty of moisture, one checks the roots. Thus by objective observation of the origin, can one find a lasting solution to a problem. Generational ignorance is the root cause, and the best course of action is to pass knowledge to the community. Other than the provision of facilities.

Research findings from the field study did invoke thoughts of offering help to the victims of inadequate health care, especially women (Vansina, L. 2018). The researcher has limited resources. However, the national government and even wealthy individuals can help. Billionaire Bill Gates donated mosquito nets only for them to be turned into fishing nets. Such an unexpected event may discourage financial aid and philanthropy. Nevertheless, helping to alleviate poverty is always worth the try.

Information from reports like these will help to formulate effective and efficient plans to deal with the matter. As for expectations, the best approach is to be open-minded before and when undertaking such an endeavor. With limited knowledge of the future, it is always best to manage one’s expectations. Many frustrations and failures stem from high expectations and low preparation. However, as one ventures into unfamiliar locations and civilizations, culture shock and surprises are expected.

Implication

The experience created a sense of responsibility to act on behalf of others. In society, there are those with no voice. Maybe because they are uneducated, underage, or even physically unable to speak. The plan is to create awareness of the situation of Women’s health. Sierra Leone is not an isolated case; other countries of Africa fail at meeting the global health standards for women. Mostly because of ignorance and archaic practices in the name of tradition. This report is just a single step in a thousand-mile journey.

Careers and jobs are different. The latter, at best, gets one a livelihood. However, the first gives purpose, direction, and fulfillment. The research and travels also revealed that poverty is a perennial problem. For example, the per capita income in Sierra Leone stands at $220 per year. The career path will certainly involve philanthropy. It does not necessarily have to be about money (Neuliep, J. W. 2017).

The real difference between the poor and the wealthy is knowledge. The plan is to educate the poor on how to use the resources they have to generate income. Until then, it is all about personal education on how to navigate such a career in the future successfully. Excellent communication skills and knowledge of ethics and human rights made the plan successful. Such experiences quickly expand one’s knowledge and awaken dormant skills.

Life is about service to others—something most people do not immediately understand. Not to mean blind, uncompensated service. Helping and serving others from a place of genuine altruism and not a focus on personal gain. The experience motivates me to do things differently when time is right, and resources allow. That place called ‘Commitment and Service’ is most certainly a place to visit before time is up.

Conclusion

The plan to get there is simple. It is to educate myself on all relevant material, try things out, and see what works and what does not then repeat the cycle. In Conclusion, it takes courage to stand up against the neglect of women in society. There must be a person willing to rise to the occasion and speak of this scourge on humanity. The researcher was born of a woman. Better health standards are the right place to start.

References

Neuliep, J. W. (2017). Culture shock and reentry shock. The International Encyclopedia of Intercultural Communication, 1-9.

Vansina, L. (2018). Is There Space for Rational Thinking is Altruism? From Charity to Philanthropy. In Citizenship in Organizations (pp. 95-115). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.