Stirring the Pot

Photo: Poster announcing the sessions. I love the logo and design.

Photo: Speaker presenting her session.

Photo: The edifice of the Ministry of Health - a beautiful old building in Lima.

Yesterday afternoon HBI was invited to present to the Peruvian Ministry of Health. Our invitation was in association with a series of "charlas" or talks that the government convened to advance international collaborations. The speakers for the sessions were the Brazilian Senior Secretary of International Relations, a former head of the Peruvian Ministry of Health who now runs an NGO that works around the world, the director of a blindness prevention program in Peru (HBI's very own Dr. Daniel Bueno Rojas) the head of the United Nations HIV/AIDS program in Peru and HBI. Needless-to-say, it was quite an honor.

Each organization was provided a 20-minute time slot to talk about their work and propose ideas for greater collaboration and in-roads with underserved communities. All of the speakers that presented before me read from prepared statements or delivered standard PowerPoint presentations about their work and visions. I decided to do something a little different.

I think I might have ruffled a few feathers. I could not help myself. I couldn't darn well neglect the pink elephant in the middle of the room. I spoke "passionately" (as a person in the audience told me after the event) about the need for delivering services and advocating for political change that embraces a "pro poor" agenda. I talked about the divide that exists between the "haves" and the "have nots" in Peru. I challenged the Ministry of Health to develop programs that better trained Peruvian physicians and nurses to work with the poor. I encouraged the investment in training opportunities that teach Peruvian providers to understand the influence of long term trauma on the lives of people living in extreme poverty. I encouraged the development of a government mandate to ensure all Peruvians have access to healthcare services.

In the end, the bulk of my talk was about recognizing the responsibility that we all have to ensure that every child can grow up to realize their dreams. I ended my talk by telling the story of Alejandro Toledo - a man who grew up in extreme poverty and became the President of Peru. I told the hundred or so people gathered at the event that President Toledo's story is the story that every child should strive to conceive. I said that the dreams that allowed President Toledo to become the leader of Peru, are the same dreams that will bring an end to poverty.

Given the tense political climate in Peru - my use of former President Toledo as an example of the direction the Ministry of Health should head, may have been a bit too strong. Oh well, if nothing else I sure stirred the pot and got people thinking.

As we were getting ready to leave the conference a woman came up to us in the hallway. She said that she really appreciated what we had to say. She said that HBI's emphasis on ensuring that everyone has access to the highest quality health services was very inspiring to her. She told me that she felt more people needed to hear this message.

I can't end this Blog update without thanking Billy Greenman for his time, energy and expertise in acting as an interpreter for my talk yesterday!