Coming from the point of view of a student, a professor, or a doctor, we often propose many different methods to solve health problems in low income, low resource parts of the city. Some may call these proposals creative, but sometimes, they expose how ignorant we are to situations that are actually happening realistically.
We are fortunate to be taught since young that we should have a balanced diet, 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, 8 glasses of water etc, so when asked what we can do to help obese or unhealthy populations, we simply say, nutrition education. Nutrition education is important, but it doesn’t mean that it has an effect everywhere. On one of our fifth days, someone asked whether SNAP, WIC programs have compulsory nutrition education classes. The speaker responded saying it would be a good addition, but sometimes it is just not feasible. If parents have to work every day worrying for the next meal, they most likely will not have the time to attend these workshops. Hermelinda Cortes, who works with food nutrition programs at schools now recalls her poor and rural upbringing and says, “At a young age, we had a good understanding of where food came from. We were not fond of eating products they (big corporations) were producing and that was the food we could afford” (Ammons, p8). Working at a poultry farm, she knew first-hand about food processes between farm to table, but in reality money and other factors combined does not allow change.
I believe it is very important for NGOs and think tanks to do more ground work and talk to people that are living there to understand their perspectives. Today, we met with Rick Leach, Director and CEO of World Food Program USA and I thought that he really tries to understand the refugees whom they are trying to help. He recalls going to a refugee camp and finds that they are not accustomed to the bulgar that the US distributes to them because they grew up eating rice. There is also very similar example that is cited in Ammon. WIC vouchers gives participants staples such as milk, bread, eggs and cheese. 20% WIC program participants were African Americans and a lot of them were lactose-intolerant. These parents had no choice but to still feed their children. Although the current WIC program does have a lot of new additions to serve people with more diverse needs, this example once again shows that many policies are often biased towards the larger American population and are not accommodating enough.
I think the main point is that as outsiders we are often unfamiliar with the situation and tend to think that what we think is best for them should be implemented. Yet, the best way to help them is to really put ourselves in their shoes and think about what they want, and not what we want.
Totally agree! Nothing is ever so simple as outsiders sometimes like to make things seem, because it is easier, more convenient, or sometimes we are just ignorant even if it stems from an innocent place. But oversimplifying the problem is patronizing to those living it. I enjoyed the example you pulled from Ammons. The problems facing food systems are often larger than education, although this is an important piece. People often know they need to eat healthy food.The problem is commonly access, or at least that’s one piece of a very complicated food system puzzle.
Hey Hiu-Tung! I just wanted to say that I really appreciate that you referenced the Ammons piece! This year I have been diving in head first into some interesting literature that is critical of what is called the “service-based” model for community development. Instead, these authors and activists advocate that we should explore indigenous knowledge. In short, this means that we should let the people most affected by an issue, actually define the problem. Another way I have heard this explained is from a dismantling racism workshop facilitator who said, “Before you ask someone what they are cooking, maybe you should ask them….what’s cooking you?” Can’t wait for our class discussion on Saturday.