She Is the Future

Women empowerment is a situation in which women are given the opportunity to participate fully in social, political and economic spheres of life. Empowering woman entail creating an enabling environment in which women are allowed to implement government programs and organizational policies that affect their lives. Women empowerment is the situation in which women move from the state of being oppressed to the state in which both the oppressor and the oppressed are equal, socially, politically and economically.

–Pictures of our neighbors who are frontliners in our town

 “Feminism does not aim to make women powerful. Women are already powerful. It is about influencing the way the rest of the world views your strength.” Women have always had fewer opportunities and possibilities to develop their talents and knowledge since ancient times. Women’s need for equality emerged from ancient times due to gender inequality and male domination in the world. For many reasons, women are being oppressed by members of their families and society. They were also abused by the male members in the family and society of all countries for many types of violence and discriminatory practices. Wrong and outdated habits have taken the form of well-developed customs and traditions for women in society from ancient times. Women have suffered a lot through the years at the hands of men. But as the times evolved, women realized their power. There on began the revolution for women empowerment.

“It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.”

–Madeleine Albright

Women are the key to sustainable development and quality of life in the family. They perform the role of a mother, wife, partner, organizer, administrator, director, re-creator, disburser, economist, mother, disciplinarian, teacher, health officer, artist and queen in the family at the same time. Apart from it, woman plays a key role in the socio-economic development of the society. Women are the key to sustainable development and quality of life. So, they should act as leaders of the society to raise voice against women violence, exploitation in household as well as in work place, dowry prohibition superstition and other social atrocities.

Women are the pioneers of nation so they should be member of religious institution to deliver spiritual speech to adolescent boys and girls in order to eliminate juvenile delinquency problem from the society. They are supposed to create awareness about human rights, women and child rights, credit facility of bank, different immunization programs to low socio-economic status people of the society.

Moreover, it is the women who have sustained the growth of society and molded the future of nations. In the emerging complex social scenario, women have a vital role to play in different sectors. They can no longer be considered as mere harbingers of peace but are emerging as the source of power and symbol of progress.

In conclusion, women are also human beings like men and they deserve to live their life like other human beings. Women also have the same ability and potential as men to do any form of work. Women are another form of love, care, kindness, and patience. Moreover, they really need to be appreciated and respected. Women must be given equal opportunities in every field, and irrespective of gender. It is the right of women to given them freedom.

References:

Why Is Women's Empowerment Important? January 20, 2022. Faro, Terrique. The Skills Portal.https://www.skillsportal.co.za/content/why-womens-empowerment-important

Bleeding Disorders in Women. July 7, 2021. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/blooddisorders/women/index.html

What is women empowerment? Motherhood Foundation. http://motherhoodfoundation.org.in/women-empowerment/

21 Fascinating Women's History Month Facts. Apr 1, 2022. Yurcaba, Jo AND Berry, Elizabeth. https://www.womansday.com/life/a34908026/womens-history-month-facts/

Facilitating Lessons Learnt

Throughout this quarter, I have learned about community-based research. Community-based research in public health focuses on social, structural, and physical environmental inequities through active involvement of community members, organizational representatives, and researchers in all aspects of the research process”. Those involved in the research give input on what they know about the topic in order to gain a further understanding and to discuss further knowledge with intentions to benefit the community involved. The principles of CBR are to recognize community as a unit of identity, build community strengths and resources, facilitate partnerships in all research phases, and promote co-learning and capacity building.

What I have found throughout the research is that CBR is about facilitating capacity building and increasing policy change through equal engagement between a diverse group of partners within the community. It has also been applied by many health researchers and practitioners to address the many different health disparities and community involvement to promote health equity. What these articles also mention is that community-based research projects have shown little effort within the literature that evaluates CBR and if the interventions are successful or unsuccessful.  I found that the CBPR approach is a valuable research tool in which can involve everyone in the process of positive changes within a community. This type of research searches for solutions for the communities that they are partnered with and I believe that having a long-term end goal, resulting in positive change for a struggling community, is the best way to resolve any issues especially in the public health setting.

Community-based research can be criticized for its lack of social impact in the ‘real world’. Study findings are often not well understood nor used effectively to shape policy making and practice. These issues are pertinent for practicing social workers who often find it difficult to utilize research knowledge to influence the public realm and engage service users in social change.

Moving on, I wanted to go further in my findings and look upon community-based research within the public health setting such a funding, health equity, and health disparities. The CBR approach has taught me how to better involve those in the research process and how communication is a key aspect when taking part in discussion, receiving and giving feedback. CBR has also shown me the importance of the challenges that are faced throughout different communities and how to develop effective solutions for them. The thesis of this reflection is to understand how to apply CBR by working together in a public health community setting to improve health equity and reduce health disparities.

Resources:

What is Community-based Participatory Research? Collier, Ashley. Jul 14, 2015. https://experiment.com/u/CZebYQ

Vaccines For Children Against COVID-19

     The evolving COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global public health crisis that continues to have a major impact on the world. Many countries are facing significant challenges vaccinating their populations for COVID-19. As countries continue to roll out COVID-19 vaccines, decisions about vaccination strategies need to balance limited vaccine availability with prioritizing people at greater risk of severe illness from the disease.

                 When COVID-19 vaccines first became available, countries around the world decided to implement vaccination strategies focused primarily on the adult population because children were less likely to experience severe illness from COVID-19. However, mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome have led to variants that pose a heightened risk of infection to a wider range of individuals, including subpopulations like children that were not part of initial vaccination roll-out strategies. Recent evidence indicates that children and young adults can carry a high SARS-CoV-2 viral load in their upper airways, particularly early in the course of infection, suggesting that pediatric populations may be a key source of community transmission and have the potential to serve as a reservoir for the evolution of new variants.

The best way to keep children safe is about prevention. We have to prevent as many infections as we possibly can all over the world. And it's about doing it all. We need to make sure children have clean hands and they wash their hands appropriately with soap and water and sing the songs so that they get enough bubbles and they make sure that those hands are really clean. Or use an alcohol-based rub. Make sure that they practice respiratory etiquette, where they sneeze into their elbow. These are good habits to be forming for children as they get older. We need to make sure that if they're age appropriate and they follow the local guidance to wear a mask appropriately. With clean hands, make sure that the mask is put on over your ears, covers their nose and their mouth and that the children don't touch the outside of their masks. That's the best way to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

References:

Why a COVID-19 Vaccine for Children May Take Longer. February 12, 2021. Health Essentials. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-a-covid-19-vaccine-for-children-may-take-awhile/

Are We One Step Closer to a COVID-19 Vaccine for Kids?. April 5, 2021. Health Essentials. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/are-we-one-step-closer-to-a-covid-19-vaccine-for-kids/