To the Health Worker 31
• Solve problems with others, not for them. Even when
a woman’s problems are very large and cannot be solved
completely, she usually has some choices she can make. As
a health worker, you can help her realize she has
choices, and help her find the information she
needs to make her own decisions.
• Learn from the people you help.
Learning how others solve their own
problems can help you to help others
better (and sometimes yourself, too).
• Respect your people’s traditions and ideas. Modern
science does not have all the answers. And many modern
medicines come from studying plant medicines and
traditional ways of healing. So it is important to respect and
use what is good in both methods—and to realize that both
methods can cause harm when used in the wrong way.
• Find out what people really want to learn about. It is easy
to fall into the trap of giving information without finding out
if it will be helpful. This often happens with health workers
who give prepared talks. But if you find out exactly what
people want to know, they will get knowledge that is useful
to them. This also helps them build on their own knowledge.
Iron is found in
hemoglobin, mioglobin,
and different enzymes.
During their fertile
years, women need
18 mg. daily to fill
the needs created
by menstruation,
pregnancy, and
breastfeeding.
They
are not
interested
in good
nutrition.
Why do so many
women bleed to
death during birth?
One reason is
anemia. Many women
do not eat enough
foods rich in iron,
like meat.
I have
no idea
what she
is talking
about.
What a
waste of
time!
You learn
from those
you help,
and
those you
help learn
from you.
But meat
costs so
much. What
other ways
can we get
enough
iron?
• Plan with people, not for people. When you plan your
work, be sure to talk first with women and men in your
community. Find out how they view the problem you are
working to solve. Together, talk about what they think
causes the problem and how they would like to solve it.
Working together brings the best results!
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012