VSI on FacebookVSI on TwitterVSI News feedVSI on YouTube
 
Home » Get Involved » Field Journal » Bright Lights

Bright Lights

I sit with the bright light beaming directly into my eyes and feel the dry paper clipped against my chest. The sharp metal objects poke and prod the inside of my mouth as if they’re searching for something that I missed. Overall it’s not a pleasant experience, but I know it must be done.

“So what do you do?” asks the dentist standing directly over me.

The instrument resting awkwardly against my tongue gives me a long moment to think about how to best respond.  Faces and names of our programs jumble in my head – Nafissa, Zamna, Monaisha, Robey.  These women are the real reason why I come to work on Monday mornings and why VSI exists.  We believe passionately in the power of women and their impact on the world.  I didn’t snap the photos hanging on our office walls and I’ve never met the women we feature on our website, but I can name them all – Lelti, Dilwara, Agnes - that’s what I do. 

I begin to describe my work at VSI in detail between the poking, gargling, and teeth cleaning.  I talk about miso and its medical use; I try and paint a picture of what life is like for rural women in Africa because as citizens in this country we could never fully understand the life-threatening challenges of a pregnant rural woman in the developing world. Sixty seconds later another metal instrument is placed in my mouth and I have more time to ponder the next question.

“So why did you get into this kind of work?”

College may be the natural starting point for my response, but I return to the photographs and videos I see every day at work – Mariye, Emmanuel, Maria. I think about the health workers in our programs and why they do their work, what gets them out of bed in the morning, or even in the middle of the night.  It’s simple really. Women deserve to have safe and healthy lives.  Preventable conditions should not hinder their ability to be the best mothers, daughters, and wives they can be. No mother, no woman should die in pregnancy or childbirth.  That’s why I work for women everywhere. That’s why I work for VSI.

I notice I’ve been rambling for two minutes and haven’t had a single metal poke to disturb my storytelling. I look up into the light and see my dentist looking right back at me.  He can tell how passionate I am about what I do and why I do it.   

 

Do you believe in the work of VSI like I do?  Click here.