Joanne Berg's Blog
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Joanne Berg holds 2 diplomas in nursing, one in psychiatric nursing and a diploma in nursing, totaling 30 years. She is originally from Canada, but got to Texas as fast as she could. For the past twelve years she has worked in management doing start up programs in rural hospitals, she has held positions in regional programming, executive management, and Director of nursing, currently she is the administrator of the Houston, Texas branch of Dyna Care Home health. Her diverse background in nursing includes infectious diseases, medical neuro, gastroenterology, rheumatology, psychiatry and is competent in infusion therapy, wound care and is able to do assessments including the bio-psycho-social elements of those in her care. She is currently working towards the completion of a Bachelors of Science in nursing, on the fast track to a master's degree. |
January 2005
Give a man fish, you feed him for a day…
Open your mind and take a step back in time, to a simpler way of life. A time when women carried water jugs on their heads and men plowed fields with a one sheared plow walking behind 2 oxen and another man carried a bowl of seeds to sprinkle on the ground. Look around and see the terraced mountainside, where the fields are plots of land that are 50 feet long by 10 feet wide.
Walk with me along the side of the road through the Cherikot Mountain range, and see the devastation, left by the day ‘the earth danced then opened up and swallowed the people and animals running and screaming in terror in front of me'. Observe the broke life of the beautiful people of Kashmir .
All over the valleys are tent villages, broken buildings, piled rocks. It is difficult to tell what buildings may be habitable and what was destroyed or what is the way it was before the quake. The people look worn, poor, tired and weather beaten.
I am stunned and amazed at the same time by what I am seeing, and it is difficult to grasp what has happened. I am not sure that I will ever really understand what has really happened.
Kashmir , I am told is one of the most stunningly beautiful areas in the world, this was what I was told by people I know in the United States . It has been a well kept secret; because until the earth quake no one from Western civilization has been allowed to enter into the Pakistan occupied side of Kashmir . I am mesmerized by the beauty and the destruction at the same time and I cannot tell by my emotions what is impacting me most.
We have traveled by helicopter from Islamabad to Bagh and then we will travel by truck to Forward Kahuta. We have come to Kashmir as volunteers from Dynacare Home Health in the United States to work with the Australian Aid International, in the development and implementation of sustainable long term clinical skills, through education translated into Urdu and a mentoring process.
Our US team has been involved in the development of teaching tools, gathering data from the village clinics, providing in service education to the healthcare workers on disease surveillance, and vaccinations. Materials have been developed on universal precautions for the clinics. A school health and sanitation program will go into effect through the use of artwork. The plan is to lay a foundation of education that will be provided to key medical personnel, who in turn will provide education to the dispensers, vaccinators and Lady health workers, who will become the key educators. The expectation is that the educators will in turn take this important information to all the people of Kashmir . This is the legacy that that we will leave behind, with sincere hope that the increased education and improvements in healthcare will decrease needless deaths.
My desire was to make one small difference in one person's life while here in Kashmir, however, I am completely in awe of having the opportunity to help so many through the use of educational materials. I am so greatful to AAI and Dynacare Home Health for providing me this opportunity, how do you say Thank You for this life changing experience. I am humbled by the appreciation of the people of Kashmir and their joy in the opportunity to learn how to better take care of their people.