Healers Abroad Americans Responding to the Human Resource Crisis in HIV/AIDS (2005) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
Appendix D U.S. Organizational Experience with Volunteer Health Programs
Appendix D U.S. Organizational Experience with Volunteer Health Programs
Pages 180-194
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 180... ...
organizations who send volunteers to work overseas in health programs were surveyed. The survey was intended as a preliminary exploration of the experience of such organizations in sending volunteer health professionals to resource poor countries.
|
From page 181... ...
APPENDIX D 181 TABLE D-1 Organizations by Category Number Number Sending Number Completing Medical Organization Type Contacted Surveys Professionals University Programs 11 9 9 General Development Organizations 12 2 2 (Secular) General Development Organizations 12 4 4 (Faith-Based)
|
From page 182... ...
; differences in the belief of how best to carry out certain administrative procedures; unmet expectations regarding volunteers' working or living conditions; and simple procedural misunderstandings between international partners. Another communication obstacle -- spoken or unspoken -- can be the perceived or real arrogance or unwillingness to communicate on the part of very large organizations.
|
From page 183... ...
expecting to find Western medical supplies and efficient documentation systems in developing countries will likely find major frustrations with their host organization's working environment. This difficulty is compounded in partnering situations in which the international organization and local partners enter into agreements that do not take into account the very different "health worlds" or medical cultures from which each come.
|
From page 184... ...
They believe a multifaceted approach that helps inspire and reinforce hope to community members is needed if such communities are to achieve specific HIV treatment, prevention, and care goals. Turf Issues Battles over ownership, responsibility, and control were cited as impediments to effective partnering.
|
From page 185... ...
Volunteer Morale The prevalence of HIV/AIDS, poor working and living conditions, lack of personal connections, and other frustrations that may arise from international partnering can have a negative impact on the morale of deployed volunteers and the organization as a whole, thus harming the partnering relationship. SUGGESTED RESPONSES AND SOLUTIONS TO PARTNERING CHALLENGES Based on responses in the survey, it appears that the challenges outlined above fall into four basic categories.
|
From page 186... ...
186 HEALERS ABROAD Plan countermeasures for factors that could slow acceptance of assistance. This may include actively countering HIV/AIDS based stigmatization, identifying powerful community leaders and community programs that support both the program and have a generally more positive outlook, and enlisting (as many local and internationally partnered organizations have done)
|
From page 187... ...
APPENDIX D 187 than 15 years and know how to effectively communicate with their partners. They may also have reliable information concerning potential local counterparts who can be most helpful in maintaining an open dialogue between partners.
|
From page 188... ...
Counterparts can also be helpful in identifying potential and alerting volunteers to potential obstacles to accomplishing their goal. Because such people are so valuable (and local staff turnover can be high)
|
From page 189... ...
For example, it costs roughly $75,000 per year to keep a Peace Corps volunteer in the field. The cost for a midcareer M.D.
|
From page 190... ...
Although chronic infectious diseases have far-reaching and damaging long-term consequences, they do not appear to have as high status for volunteers and have more complex volunteering requirements. RECRUITING AND RETAINING OVERSEAS VOLUNTEERS Volunteer Recruitment Methods · Most respondents engage in multiple recruitment approaches.
|
From page 191... ...
APPENDIX D 191 · University based programs and others cited educational institutions as good sources of volunteer program participants. Universities reported having many more interested faculty than their programs can place.
|
From page 192... ...
192 HEALERS ABROAD Combined health and safety concerns far outweigh the other concerns in the list. FACILITATING IMPROVEMENT IN VOLUNTEER PERFORMANCE Supportive Context and Larger Networks of Volunteer Support The most frequently cited assets and resources for good volunteer performance involved various elements of personal, professional and administrative support for their work, both in country and as a part of international health networks.
|
From page 193... ...
193 Informal Minimal or 7 2 In-Country Training Longer Course 214-Day Course 1-Day Course Training Video 55841 Training Manual 13 Training Provides Training 24 Cross-Cultural D-2 Training Responding Method of TABLE Cultural Methods No. Organizations Using
|
From page 194... ...
. At the same time, volunteers, other expatriate health professionals, and their local counterparts and colleagues can fully utilize resources such as distance learning, international, consulting and sources of information, capacity building, and supply that can be made available through international partnering.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.