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About Me

I am a Peace Corps Volunteer in Vanuatu, a archipelago nation in the South Pacific. I have spent 2 years on an outer island working in the health sector. My primary focus was sanitation and sexual and reproductive health education. Now, I am working in the Big Smoke of Port Vila, the capitol city. I am continuing work in the health sector, focused on waste management, hygiene and sanitation.

In my free time, I play any sport available, write and read omnivorously and voraciously. I love exploring and pushing myself to do and try new things.

Location:
Vanuatu, Port Vila
Current organization:
Peace Corps - Vanuatu
Gender:
Female
I am:
Activist, Artist, Athlete, Blogger, Environmentalist, Foodie, Photographer, Public servant, World traveler, Writer/Editor
Languages:
English, Bislama
My website links:
Vignettes from Two Volunteers in Vanuatu, Tegabis - It's Good
Universities:
Hampshire College
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More About Me

Talk to me about

Organizing a TEDx in Port Vila. Writing and publishing. Art. Toilet technology.

Comments

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  • A comment on Conversation: Improving female literacy in the maternal language as a significant contribution to helping women to control their fertility

    Jul 15 2012: I agree with the principal in this idea. Giving women greater control of their reproductive rights has repeatedly been correlated to improve quality of life in the children and lower death rates due to preventable illnesses and malnutrition. Similarly, increasing women's education is directly correlated with a decrease in infant mortality. (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=graphic-science-female-education-reduces-infant-childhood-deaths) The issue I see here is translating from a theory to a practical program.

    Do you have any ideas of how to shape such a program? The program would have logistical concerns like the cost of printing the books or providing the paper on which to write the books, which could be overcome through donor organizations but would be hard to create in a sustainable system. Similarly, the literacy materials would have to have a high enough perceived value to be used for their intended purpose and not for things like starting fires or 'toilet reading.' On the other hand, it would have to have a low enough value to justify being used in every home, rather than just at the clinic or with supervision.

    At a glance, it seems like the assumption that literacy will breed literacy may also have issues. Reading is not a simple task until one passes a certain threshold, even in one's mother tongue. Just providing the reading materials wouldn't be sufficient to increase the literacy rate of the women, though it could help the children who have more free time to pursue such activities. I think increasing the literacy of women would need further incentives like continual access to new and relevant information, which would provide another hurtle to sustainability.

    I like the idea of linking places where women are already gathering to literacy through local programs but I would like to see more about the practical application of this idea.

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