Celebrate Every Day

Today began like any other: a delicious breakfast, a bumpy van ride to the Institute of Collective Health, and some top-notch Brazilian coffee. As the day progressed though, it became one of the most impactful for me in our short time spent here in Salvador.

Our morning lecture from Professor Darci Neves Santos was on the topic everyone has been waiting to hear about: Zika virus and microcephaly (babies born with abnormally small heads and possible neurological damage). Nearly everyone who has the internet or reads the news has heard about the predicted association between the Zika virus outbreak and the increase of microcephaly cases in Brazil. There are numerous studies being conducted around the world to determine the correlation between the two. Prof. Neves Santos, however, is conducting her study looking at microcephaly as the exposure rather than the outcome. “What about the families?” she said. With all the studies attempting to confirm Zika as a cause of microcephaly, there are very few looking at what will happen next. She reminded us of the importance of helping the families with interventions to improve the neurological development of these babies born with microcephaly. It is our responsibility as future public health workers to not only determine where the disease is coming from, but also to help those who are already facing these difficult situations.

class_19-5-16

After lunch and Portuguese class, our day continued with a trip to Bagunçaço, a social project to keep kids off of the street in one of the favelas in Salvador. A favela is a neighborhood built on hillsides where the people are occupying land that they do not own. Since the residents don’t own the land, they have very few rights, and typically live in poor conditions with high prevalence of drugs and crime. The police don’t offer much protection from violence as they are often the source of it. As I watched the boys of Bagunçaço (mainly early teens or younger) playing their percussion instruments though, I didn’t see a group of kids who needed our help or for us to feel sorry for them. I instead saw a musical group, who clearly loved being there, full of smiles and hope. In fact, they actually tried to teach us how to play. We weren’t nearly as good as them and couldn’t quite get the beats right, but we had a great time and I definitely gained more than a little percussion experience from them. They reminded us that though the situations they face are tragic to us, this is their reality. They celebrate their days, never knowing how many are left. They reminded us to do the same, and I encourage everyone reading this to remember that as well. Celebrate every day and live a life that you’re proud to celebrate.

baguncaco

Though slightly emotionally exhausting, today was an amazing day I will never forget. I can’t wait for more humbling, eye-opening experiences like these. Até amanhã!

-Kimberlyn Roosa

One thought on “Celebrate Every Day”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *