March/April 2001 Table of Contents
In this Article
By Lynne Mycyk
My interest in international development was first sparked in 1991 while participating in a three week conference sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Learning and working with people from around the world heightened my awareness of international issues. It inspired me to consider a more global future for myself. I wanted to help people beyond the borders of Canada, only I wasn't sure how to go about it.
The answer came to me when I discovered working holidays with an organization called Medical Ministry International (MMI). MMI is one of the world's largest, short-term volunteer medical missionary organizations. MMI is active in over 25 countries, providing medical/dental/surgical and eye care clinics to people who have little or no access to medical care. The projects vary in length from one to two weeks, ideal for the person wanting to share their talents but not prepared to devote their entire life to international volunteer work. Most importantly enrolment is not limited to doctors, or nurses; MMI accepts medical professionals like occupational therapists, translators, fix-it people, and general helpers.
In 1996, I traveled to Guaranda, Equador for my first MMI project. Our team consisted of an Ecuadorian physician, four medical residents, two nurses, a lab tech, a truck driver/translator, his teenage son, a Spanish student, and myself, an occupational therapist. It did not take me long to ascertain that successful participation on an MMI project as an occupational therapist required two essentials: flexibility and excellent marketing skills.
No matter what profession you represent flexibility is the key to a successful MMI project. Through my work in developing countries I learnt to expect the unexpected. It is almost guaranteed that at a typical MMI clinic you will treat farmers, mothers, and many children. However on each project I participated in, there were emergency cases in which a person was carried to the clinic on a make shift stretcher (usually a wooden plank). As the name implies emergencies require immediate attention, and participants may be pulled from regular duties to assist. For example, on one project a woman was brought to clinic in a state of postpartum septic shock. Two IVs had to be started immediately. Our clinic had the IV supplies, however there were no IV poles. During this incident I was assigned the job of being a human IV pole until make shift ones could be constructed. As well I was taught how to provide wash treatments to children with lice and scabies, clean burns, take blood pressures, and I acted as the operating room supply runner. In other words, while working in a developing country you can expect to learn a few new skills.
The majority of my time in MMI clinics was spent in a traditional occupational therapy role. Confidence in your skills as an occupational therapist and a strong ability to market those skills is essential. Consider how many people in Canada you meet who have no idea of what occupational therapy is. You can be sure that in the under-serviced areas of developing nations that few if any people have heard of occupational therapy. You must therefore be able to educate and demonstrate in a very short period of time the value and benefits of occupational therapy to both your team members and to the community in which you are working.
People have questioned the value of providing therapy for such a short duration. I, however, strongly believe that occupational therapy has enormous value and a significant impact on the lives of people in developing countries. Through my experience on MMI projects in Ecuador, Honduras, Guatemala, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic I found that the largest component of my work was education, in the area of prevention and health promotion.
Back problems are common among the men who work in the fields, the woman who wash their clothing in the stream, and for the five year old child who must carry her new born sister on her back. I have therefore found back education essential for men, women and children. Teaching proper lifting techniques can prevent injuries and allow people of all ages to carry out their roles in their families and communities.
Another ailment frequently seen in MMI clinics is arthritic and/or joint pain, often described by clients as "total body ache". Once again I have found education to be the strongest tool. It is here that flexibility and creativity come into play. Raised toilet seats help those with arthritic joints but only if they are available and if the toilets have seats to begin with. You really have to work with whatever is available, which is usually quite limited. I have made splints out of old medicine bottles. I have educated numerous people on joint protection and energy conservation (with the help of translators, diagrams and work simulation). Home and work site assessments were also valuable components of my occupational therapy work in developing nations. As for the unexpected part of occupational therapy, I saw several people with acute hand injuries (mainly from machetes). These people cannot afford to miss work due to injuries as there are no safe guards such as workers compensation or unemployment insurance. Therefore, it is essential that they and their families be instructed on immediate and ongoing therapeutic activities.
MMI is a Christian-based organization, reflected each morning during devotions, which is a ten to fifteen minute period of reflection and prayer held after breakfast - then it is off to the clinic site. Some MMI clinics operate out of existing medical facilities, or they may be make-shift clinics run out of schools or churches. Expect to work from seven to ten hours a day, depending on the number of people requiring help, and the distance of the clinic from your accommodations.
Evenings are free for socializing with team members, playing cards, singing, reading, journal and letter writing, or preparing for the next day's work. Accommodations vary greatly from country to country, and within countries. On one MMI project I spent two weeks sleeping on an army cot in a village without electricity or running water, while on another project I stayed in a hotel in a bustling city.
The true beauty of participating on an MMI project is that you have the opportunity to see a country not through the eyes of a tourist but through the eyes of the people. On each of my MMI projects no matter how much I give, I always seem to get multitudes more in return. The people I helped were unbelievably grateful as evidenced by their smiles, and warm hugs. I developed new friends, experienced new cultures, learned new languages, tasted new foods, and learned new skills; the list is endless. Most importantly MMI helped to put my life into perspective. After each project I returned with a greater appreciation for my family, friends, home, and our Canadian health care system, not to mention the simple things we take for granted such as indoor plumbing and electricity. In this busy world, MMI is a reality check which has enriched my life tenfold.
Lynne Marie Snyder Mycyk graduated
from the University of Western Ontario in 1995 and is currently employed
by the Neurological Care Program at The Riverdale Hospital in Toronto,
14 St. Matthews Rd., Toronto, Ontario. M4M 2B5.
Tel. (416) 461-8252, ext.1289. E-mail:
Lynne_Mycyk@trh.on.ca.
March/April 2001 Table of Contents
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