Health

Photo: Paul Jeffrey ACT/CWS

(5-10 minutes)

This simulation gives participants a vivid picture of some of the health issues faced by impoverished people around the world.

You are now in a village in the so-called developing world. You live in one of the impoverished areas of Africa, Asia or Latin America. To show you the challenges that many people face, I’m going to ask you some questions. Please stand if you are able.

Does anyone need glasses for reading? If so, raise your hand.
You would probably be illiterate, because glasses are rarely available. Put your hand over one eye and keep it there.

Has anyone ever broken a bone in their upper body or arm? If so, raise your hand.
Now put that arm behind your back. You'd have restricted movement because people with the skills to set the break were in short supply and the bone didn't heal right. A note on the ratio of doctors to population: 1 doctor to 350 persons in the U.S., while it is about 1 to 10,000 in sub-Saharan Africa.

Has anyone ever broken a bone in their lower body or leg? If so, raise whatever appendage you have left.
You might also be physically limited because the skills to set the fracture were in short supply and the bone didn't heal right. Stand on one leg.

Has anyone needed a blood transfusion to stay alive?
None is available due to lack of refrigeration and equipment. It is a two-day walk to the nearest hospital. You would likely die. Sit down.

Does anyone know a person with HIV or AIDS?
Eighty-nine percent of HIV-positive persons live in the developing world with only one-fifth of them having access to AIDS treatment drugs. You’d better sit down.

Is anyone here 65 years or older?
In the developing world the average life span is 64. In some countries it is much lower. You can sit down.

Has anyone ever had major surgery, without which they would not have survived?
Such surgery is often available only in urban areas. You would likely be dead. Sit down.

Have you ever had mumps or measles?
In the developing world, as often in our inner cities, what are for us fairly benign “childhood diseases” often kill those already weakened by malnutrition. You can sit down.

Are you female?
In many parts of the world, women only eat after all the men and children are fed, leaving women weak and much more vulnerable to illness. Their weakness contributes to maternal mortality. In the poorest developing countries the rate is 100 times what it is here. If you are a woman, sit down.

Have you ever been bitten by a mosquito?
About 40% of the world’s population, mostly those living in the poorest countries, are at risk of contracting malaria, which causes 300 million acute illnesses a year and kills one million annually. You can sit down.

Has anyone had diarrhea?
An inconvenient discomfort for us, it is deadly for many in the developing world (especially children) where over a billion people lack access to safe drinking water. You can sit down.

Reflection

What struck you during this brief exercise? What feelings arose? What questions? What actions might our faith call us to in light of this exercise?

(Updated and adapted from Hunger and Homelessness Action: A Resource Book for Colleges and Universities, Bill Hoogterp, Jr., and Jason Lejonvarn, National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness, 1990.)

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