Mother and Child

Piece Two

I’ve watched you sleeping
For a while,
Memorizing the curve of your crooked
Smile.
Faded teardrops
Grace the corners of your cheeks.
Infinitely weary,
The shadows pull across your eyes.
Between my shallow breaths I cradle
Your broken weight.

We ran together.
You pushed me forward.
Forcing me to accept promises
That I couldn’t comprehend:
“Do not look back if you no longer hear my voice.”
Five steps ahead and fingers intertwined, we ran alongside gunfire.

Neighbors and friends
Who once grilled steaks on Saturdays
And shared beers on Sundays
Now aim AK47s and 9 millimeters
At the fathers and sons, mothers and daughters.
Their trembling voices deny their Gods.
“Hold back your gun, I will convert!”

Words emptied from my mouth, exhaustion filled my throat
As I fled from the boys I once played baseball with.
Although exhausted by gunfire and consumed from death,
I continued leading the path to freedom.
Fear trembled against your eyes,
Tears traced the contours of your chin.
Gunfire so close to my ears silenced my breath.
But it was not me
Who met the ground.
Your silence.
A single shot.
A broken promise.
Turning around, you’re no longer
Five steps
Behind me.
Now in my arms. Your blood follows us.
My strength can only go so far.
I’ll never forget your broken gaze.

I hold you against my heart.
My eyes dare not close,
Fearing you will no longer be with me should I wake from sleep.
Can you hear my four words?
A wound deepens into my heart.
Pain more severe than death.
I deny the truth I must silently accept.
My voice will reach you, but your response will never reassure my quivering voice.
“I love you, Mom.”

Micro Solution to Poverty

In the 21^st century, we have developed ways to cure diseases, created vaccinations to prevent illnesses and discovered how to clone animals. We have launched missions to the moon, sent spacecrafts to Mars and have satellites orbiting the Earth. Those with this kind of power are still unable to cure hunger, prevent starvation or liberate poverty in parts of the world that have an unstable economy.

There are approximately 2-billion people in the world affected by poverty. Of these 2-billion people, 13-million Bangladeshi live in poverty. Poverty is cause either from poor governance, in which the government abuses its power, does not implement policies or just unequally distribute the wealth amongst the upper class and disregard the poor. Over the past five decades, solutions to end poverty have been discussed amongst professors and scholars. In 1983, Dr. Mohammed Yunus of Bangladesh found a way to alleviate poverty through the practice of micro-finance.

The majority of people living in poverty do not have the resources needed to take out a loan. Typically these resources include collateral and credit history. “Collateral is the key word…a lot of poor people don’t have collateral” (Baker). Collateral ensures that there is a form of repayment if the loan is not possible. The loans are typically given to entrepreneurs who are selling simple products, such as woven bamboo baskets or cow milk in the free market. Without collateral or some form of ensuring they repay their loans, a bank is unlikely to loan money. These people own nothing of monetary value. No Audi to trade in incase a person is unable to pay back a bank loan, or even a simple cell phone when a food loan is late. There is no credit history to ensure whether or not these peoples can steadily repay their debts. Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs) disregard the concept of collateral, instead offering these people money on the basis of interest. MFIs target the very poor and provide them with financial services: loans, banking and credit without requiring collateral. Usually, money is either donated or given to MFIs through individuals or groups. The MFIs will then redistribute the money amongst entrepreneurs affiliated with their institution.

Dr. Yunus, a professor of economics at the Chittagong University and founder of the Grameen Bank, discovered the seriousness of poverty when he conversed with a woman selling bamboo stools, which sold for two pennies per stool. This is because the woman buys bamboo from a trader who “imposed a condition on her: that she has to sell all the products she makes to him at the price he decides” (Small Fortunes). Dr. Yunus went around his village with in a similar situation; he found forty-two others. Altogether, the villagers needed twenty-seven Taka to break even. Twenty-seven Taka is approximately forty cents. Dr. Yunus generously gave them the money from his own pocket, which initiated the foundation of the Grameen Bank and an answer to poverty.

The primary borrowers of micro-financing are women. “Microcredit has shown its effectiveness in approving the lives of poor women worldwide. Today, they represent 80% of all borrowers” (Small Fortunes). Kathryn Keely, an Opportunity Innovator, said, “It’s a very simple answer: women repay at a much better rate. Grameen, Ranco Sol --other ones around the world -- started out with men, changed very quickly when they saw that women repaid at a faster rate” (Small Fortunes). Rita Lugogo, CEO of the Yehu, supports her claim: “There’s been a lot of studies done that show that if the woman gets an education, if the woman gets additional income, the whole family benefits. If it’s the man, it’s the man that benefits and maybe there might be some trickle down effect” (Small Fortunes). Reasons for this are that women are not going to let their children starve and they care very much for the family’s well being. Another argument arises when people make the assumption that micro-lending does not reach out to the entire population in poverty because the men are being ignored. Dr. Yunus points out, “It’s not a loan only for her purpose. It’s a loan for any member of the family as a collective.” Maria Otero, President of Accion says, “If you exclude men, you’re imposing on poverty, a set of requirements that are really not there at all.”

Some of the preconceptions of micro-lending are that the loans are quite small. However, the loan amount is in accordance with the exchange rate and the country’s currency. One United States Dollar is roughly 68.02 Bangladesh Taka. Mico-entrepreneurs are not pursuing large businesses like selling cars or manufacturing computers. They are using the material at their disposal to make items to sell in the market: ox milk, bamboo baskets, wigs, shopping bags. The small amount of money that is loaned to these people is enough for them to buy the supplies they need – sewing machine, buckets, bags – to get their business started while having just enough left over to buy food and send their children to school. According to John Thatch, founder of FINCA, “93% of all our borrowers have all their school-age children in school. The priority of the mother is not growing the business, but growing the child’s education. Supporting the child in school becomes her strategy for escaping poverty” (Small Fortunes). But is the loan enough to buy all of this – schooling, supplies, food? Linda Hunt mentions, “Micro-entrepreneurs are proving with innovation and a solid business plan, they can sell just about anything. Even without formal business training, they have shown remarkable skill in adapting to changing market conditions. Over the past 30 years, the poor have demonstrated that, with access to credit, they often have the skills necessary to work their way out of poverty” (Small Fortunes).

Similarly to issue of micro-financing and not having the money to pull out of poverty is the issue of Maternal Morality in India. According to a study done in October of this year by the Human Rights Watch titled No Tally of the Anguish: Accountability in Maternal Health Care in India, India has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. 2005 is the last available data for India’s maternal mortality rate. While the information is 4 years old, the statistics are still overwhelming. India’s Maternal Mortality rates are 16 times higher than Russia, 10 times higher than China and 4 times higher than Brazil. According to the study, 1 in 70 girls will die during pregnancy, childbirth of unsafe abortion. This estimate is compared to the 1 in 1,7300 deaths caused in the developed world.

Because India is heavily influenced by the law of karma, many of the elderly people or neighbors who have been affected by the death of a close one link the death to either fate or destiny. They are unaware that these deaths are preventable if women and girls have access to appropriate healthcare.

If a pregnant woman goes to the local hospital, she will be imposed with a price for operation. Usually, the cost to deliver a baby will be too expensive to pay and she will directed to another hospital. As the pregnant woman is able to find a hospital willing to care for her, the nurses will impose

The Indian government has taken initiative for women’s demands for deliveries in health facilities. They believe that doing so will promote safe deliveries. Public health facilities have been upgraded to improve the standard of healthcare. Through the Health Management Information System, health facilities are required to submit an annual survey to document more health-related information.

Another method of improving women’s healthcare is by ignoring the caste system. By explicitly addressing the problem, they will be able to “…make a difference in the lives of women and girls, regardless of their background, income level, caste, religion, number of children place of residence, and other arbitrary factors” (7).

Between November 2008 and August 2009, experiments were conducted in Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh has the highest maternal mortality rate in India. There are four major reasons to the high maternal mortality rates: barriers to emergency care, poor referral practices, gaps in continuity care and improper. In 2005, the Indian government implemented the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) to improve the public health systems, which did show improvement between 2003 and 2006. While these numbers are relatively success in the more developed regions of India, they are “…small in relation to the scope of the problem, and camouflages disparities” (6). States such as Haryana and Punjab have not been positively affected by the NRHM. Disparities arise from poor income, the caste system and place of residence. The caste system becomes apparent when nurses and doctors of higher class will not attempt to treat the Dalit, or untouchables.

According to the study, there were seven main reasons for the maternal mortality rates:

1. Socio-economic (caste system)

2. Cultural

3. Early marriage

4. Inaccessibility to contraceptives

5. Husbands/mothers-in-law controlling women’s care seeking provider

6. Poor Heath

7. Mother Protection Scheme

The Mother Protection Scheme, also called Janani Suraksha Yojana or JSY, is when the nurses impose upon the pregnant women extra fees to deliver the child. They use the excuse of culture to give money after the birth of a child. No one dares file a complaint to the superior because they fear that even more complications will arise, such as denying services. Even if the family pays the extra fee, there is no guarantee that the delivery will be a successful. Complications, such as hemorrhages, obstructed labor, hypertensive disorders or seizures could cause death during delivery. “…most health staff in community health centers of Uttar Pradesh said that they conducted only ‘normal deliveries.’ Women with complications were referred to another facility, with little or no referral support” (10). 45% of the health centers do no have the funds for proper health services. 1 in 100 facilities have blood storage facilities, causing nurses and doctors to refer pregnant women 100 km for blood transfusion, even for a caesarean section.

While the government has solutions to solve the problem of maternal mortality, they are constantly challenged. The government wants all healthcares to formally report all pregnancy-related deaths and have a government official investigate these deaths. The Indian government also wants to work with the United Nations to provide better equipment.

By facing the seven primary obstacles, the government will be able to successfully maintain and control the maternal mortality rate. Women are either not independent, unaware of their rights, unable to file a complaint or the health workers simply reject their request.

If micro-financing is able to aid those in poverty back onto their feet, is it possible to implement the same practice to the pregnant? While the price of obstetrical healthcare may be cost significantly more than loans for entrepreneurs to begin a business, the principles are the same. A small loan from one person, plus another small loan and more small loans add up in the long run. With women being able to successfully deliver a child and simple businesses coming out of poverty, isn’t that the most important principle of human rights?

Works Cited

"India: Reveal Truth about Childbirth Deaths | Human Rights Watch." Home | Human

Rights Watch. 4 Nov. 2009. Web. 4 Nov. 2009.

.

"No Tally for the Anguish: Accountability in Maternal Health Care in India." Human

Rights Watch. Oct. 2009. Web. 1 Oct. 2009. .

Small Fortunes: Microcredit and the Future of Poverty. Dir. Matt Whitaker. 2005. DVD.

Zaman, Hussan. "The Scaling-Up of Microfinance in Bangladesh: Determinants, Impact,

and Lessons." The World Bank. The World Bank, Sept. 2004. Web. 1 Oct. 2009.