Affirmation at PSI

Our first meeting in Delhi was with Population Services International (PSI). PSI is the third largest NGO in the world and is the undisputed leader (in my mind anyway!) in global health program marketing and communications, as well as program efficacy. Their interventions bring aid to millions of people around the world and their programmatic efforts span a variety of topics including malaria, reproductive health, safe water, and others.

Our meeting with PSI inspired me on many different levels. The most basic, yet perhaps the most important, is that it reaffirmed the lessons that we are learning in the classroom through the MPH program at GWU. This was truly an opportunity to see classroom knowledge being applied in the field, with success. As we listened to the very sophisticated reproductive health program presentation, it was so affirming to see simple things like health and behavior objectives incorporated into the presentation. I find myself sometimes actually being in awe of people who are successful in their careers, in areas where I would want to work and this was truly a moment where I thought “hey! I can definitely do that” and this feeling is directly attributed to my classroom experience at GWU. It’s funny, isn’t it, how sometimes you have to travel halfway around the world to have an affirming experience for what you are completing back home.

The PSI program for reproductive health is extremely well thought out, and has many components. My friend and classmate Kelly Healy has done simply an unbeatable job outlining the program in her blog today so I will spare another identical recap and will instead blog about what I found to be the best aspect of the program: the use of contraceptives through empowerment.

It was stressed numerous times during our discussion that empowerment was the major objective of the program, a sentiment that I truly appreciate. Giving women a contraceptive without information or skills is akin to giving them nothing at all. The PSI program uses a variety of techniques to truly empower women. Their outreach program identifies leaders in the community and trains them as Interpersonal Communicators (IPC). These IPC’s then go out into their own community, where they are already known, to educate and provide tools to empower women to talk to their husbands about contraception and understand where and how they can get it. PSI uses the Freedom5 intrauterine device (IUD) to do this. The IUD is a cost effective, long lasting (5 years), proven effective and reversible form of birth control that is sustainable for these communities.

From my perspective, there is so much that PSI is doing right in the area of reproductive health. Their programming combines grassroots community efforts on the ground with high-level social media campaigns that reach masses of people with just one television advertisement. They truly are a world-class organization and are worthy of every cent of funding.

The meeting with PSI also provided a type of full-circle experience for me as I reflect on this course as a whole. In addition to affirming classroom lessons from the MPH program as a whole, meeting with PSI provided great contrast and similarity to some of the smaller, more community-based NGO’s we met with in Mumbai and Delhi. Comparing a PSI program to an Acorn India (the NGO we met with in the Dharavi slum in Mumbai) provides a case study in its own right on the full spectrum of social entrepreneurship as well as NGO’s who are truly making a difference in communities, from the top to the bottom. PSI may have more money and resources to put together a power point, speak at a conference or provide marketing materials --- but is what they are doing so different from Acorn or Impact India? I don’t think so.

I appreciate so much about what PSI is doing in India, and around the world. Their funding allows for true market research to be conducted – resulting in more efficient, effective and targeted program. Now, if only every NGO could have such funding! It can be easy to become blinded by the celebrity and sophistication of programs from PSI; however, it is so important to remember that their mission is the same as any of the other smaller NGO’s we’ve seen in India. PSI wants to help people, they have identified target areas in which to do so, and they create programs for communities that provide education, resources and support.

The Women of Aastha Parivaar, and The Women of GW

The past 48 hours in India have exposed me to more diversity than I I have seen in my 28 years on this Earth. The people, the culture, the hardship, the hope, the dignity, the fatigue and optimism we have been seen has undoubtedly been experienced different by each of us on this journey. It is clear that our time here has exposed us to many individuals who are struggling. Whether they struggle with health, violence, cleanliness, harassment, stigma or poverty – they all share a common thread.
Yesterday, we split into two groups and held sessions with Aastha Parivaar. My particular group has the distinct pleasure of meeting with a group of 15 or so commercial sex workers who also had become part of the community based organization (CBO) that educates and supports sex workers throughout Mumbai. Going into our session, I will admit that I was nervous and apprehensive; however, once we arrived it was clear that the women were open-minded, compassionate, positive and genuinely interested and excited to learn from us and to teach us what they know.
Our session was spectacular and was a great success. While we waited for the bus we had the opportunity to sit with three of the sex workers and I used this time to really ask some of the tougher questions that were on my mind, but seemed inappropriate to ask in a larger group. Issues such as violence, the opinions of the husbands of sex workers regarding their profession, family life, career opportunities and harassment were touched upon and it was an incredibly special and moving experience. Of all the questions we asked of them, what the women wanted to know most about us during that small group chat was why we weren’t married with babies yet!
We have had two wonderful yoga sessions since arriving in India and two key takeaways, for me, have been to respect one another and to have an open mind to all different experiences. The women of Aastha Parivaar truly embody these concepts and we could all stand to learn from them. Every day they face hardship, discrimination, harassment and a profession that is challenging in a way we can never truly understand. Each day I am in India, I have tried to remain present so that I can act as a sponge to all of the different interactions we are having and the lessons to be learned from them.
Traveling in a group of almost 20 women, from all different backgrounds and perspectives, can be a challenge. I doubt that anyone on this journey will disagree! The inherent diversity of each individual is what makes for a rich learning environment and I am learning everyday not only from the “India experience” but also from each person I am experiencing India with. What I may see as optimistic and hopeful, a friend may see as depressing – this simply provides a wonderful opportunity for conversation and social learning.
Each day I have been impressed, and sometimes overwhelmed, with this trip as a whole. In our on the ground orientation, Dr. Vyas addressed how each individual here would experience India in their own way. Some may be extremely extroverted about it and want to share every detail and some may be more timid, wishing to process internally and keep their individual feeling to themselves. Both are ok and I certainly find myself wavering somewhere in between.
India is unpredictable, and that is part of the charm. The one thing that I can predict is as we continue on this incredible trip we will be able to learn not only from the meetings and projects that are part of our curriculum, but also from each other.