Blog 5

I selected Princess Diana as an inspirational woman. She was born in 1961 and died in 1997. During her life she was often said to be the most photographed person. She exemplified feminine beauty and glamour. At the same time, she was admired for her charity work; in particular her work with AIDS patients and supporting the campaign for banning landmines. She married Prince Charles in 1981 and she received the title of “Her Royal Highness Princess Diana of Wales.” Her children are Prince William and Prince Harry.

As Princess of Wales, Diana was expected to take part in various official engagements and charities, such as, opening of hospitals. This provided a natural outlet for her to become involved in various types of charitable work. The Princess was Patron of Centrepoint (homeless charity), English National Ballet, Leprosy Mission and National Aids Trust (The Royal Household, 2008/09). In 1987, Princess Diana was one of the first well known celebrities to be photographed with a victim of AIDS This was important in changing attitudes to the disease. At the time, many thought the disease could be contacted by touching someone who had the disease. The Princess was also President of the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street and of the Royal Marsden Hospital Another of her high profile charities was her involvement in the campaign to ban landmines. In January 1997, she visited mine fields in Angola to inspect the clearing of landmines. After her death, the Ottawa treaty was signed banning the use of anti-personnel landmines. The Princess’s support and role in the campaign played an important role in influencing this decision. (The Royal Household, 2008/09)

I consider her an inspirational woman because of her natural sympathy and unity with people. The fact that she was Princess of Wales did not mean she had to do all what she did for the people. She could have simply sat back and watched but because she cared about people she went out of her way to help.

References

The Royal Household. (2008/09). The British Monarchy. Retrieved from http://www.royal.gov.uk/HistoryoftheMonarchy/The%20House%20of%20Windsor%20from%201952/DianaPrincessofWales/Childhood.aspx

Blog 4

What can a woman do to reduce her risk of assault? 

While you can never completely protect yourself from assault, there are some things you can do to help reduce your risk of being assaulted.

A woman can reduce her risk of assault by avoiding dangerous situations and isolated places. Women should drink responsibly. Women should always walk with someone in isolated places. They should always trust their instinct. If they think it is unsafe and dangerous then they should not be out there alone. If possible women should always have a cell phone and make sure it is charged up.

A woman can reduce her risk of assault by getting educated or starting her own business. Women who are educated are less likely to be assaulted partners or husbands. According to the WHO, women with no education are less likely to experience sexual violence than those with higher levels of education. Education empowers women and therefore builds their self-confidence. Women who are confident speak for themselves because they know they can make it on their own. Women who are not educated can start their own business so that they can earn money and not have to depend on their partners or husbands. Empowered women are respected by other people including their husbands and/or partners because they make their own money.

References

World Health Organization (WHO). (n.d) Sexual violence. retrieved from http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/global_campaign/en/chap6.pdf

Blog 3

My job, my finances and my sisters are my top three stressors.

My job is stressful because of the work load. There is always too much to do in a short time. To cope with the work load I am trying to get more organized and manage my time well. I write down my to-do list and limit the time I spend on each task.

Finances stress me because I think my husband and I do not make enough money. We manage our bills and pay them on time. We just do not have enough money left over for vacation and entertainment. To cope with this my husband and I are both in school. Hopefully when we graduate we will get better paying jobs and have extra money.

I come from a family of eight sisters. My mom is still living but my dad passed on. All my sisters live in Zambia, Southern Africa. Interacting with my sisters and getting family issues resolved is stressful for me. One would think distance would help me get along with them well. We have different personalities and opinions. My sisters disagree and argue way too much. I have tried to advise them but they will not listen. Most of them have strong personalities; no one is willing to compromise. My mother does not help the situation at all. She would rather not say anything even when asked to say something. I think if she did intervene it would help the situation. To cope with this I try not take what they say personal. When the situation gets too uncomfortable I stay away. I have decided to only associate with them only when I think it is very important and necessary.

Blog 2

In Vietnam, women’s attitudes, knowledge and/or beliefs keep them from making independent decisions on contraception use and/or having an abortion. The family planning program in Vietnam began as unofficial program in 1963. In 1988 it was further reinforced to emphasize solely on a two-child per couple policy with 3 to 5 years of spacing. The family planning program targeted only married women. As if that was not bad enough, the program also did not include family planning services or information for women who were interested in knowing how to use oral pills or education on immediate or long term side effects. Women were made uncomfortable in freely buying condoms because society viewed them as having casual sexual relations. Many women then and now as a result opt for traditional methods of birth control even though they are unreliable in preventing unwanted pregnancies. Family planning policy makers believed the intrauterine device (IUD) was the most effective way and encouraged IUD usage. Therefore, IUD is most common method of family planning in Vietnam. Other methods of family planning such as condoms, pills and injections were given less attention hence not commonly used. Abortion is legal in Vietnam if provided through public or qualified private facilities under a Decree that enabled privatization of the health sector in 1989. However it is suspected that many illegal abortions were delivered. Between 1982 to 1994 induced abortions rose leading Vietnam to be a country that has one of the highest abortion rates in the world. Each year approximately 500,000 abortions were reported in the public sector and another one-third to one-half as many were reported in small health clinics which are suspected of contributing high women’s death rates. (Nguyen & Budiharsana, 2012)

Limited contraceptive choices, improper use of modern contraceptives and reliance on the withdrawal method or periodic abstinence contribute to a situation where women do not have access to reliable family planning methods. Lack of counselling and comprehensive information on available contraception use is associated with abortion rates. (Nguyen & Budiharsana, 2012) Contraception use and education on family planning should be open for every woman regardless of their marital status. I believe women should be free to decide whether or when to have children. Unfortunately, it is not the case for most women especially those who live in low-income countries. Lack of access to family planning has been an ongoing problem. The only way to resolve this issue is by educating both women and men about family planning and it's benefits. Hopefully one day all women will make their own decisions on family planning without being stigmatized by society.

References

Nguyen, H. U., & Budiharsana, P. M. (2012). Receiving voluntary planning services has no relationship with paradoxical situation of high use of contraceptives and abortion in Vietnam: a cross-sectional study. BMC Women’s Health. 12(14), 1-9. http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2225/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=cc9378d3-e919-4b47-9aa3-1e9edca031f3%40sessionmgr198&vid=24&hid=103

Blog 1

The health issue I am concerned about is heart disease. I am concerned about heart disease because my father died from Congestive Cardiac Failure when I was a teenager. When he died I had very little information about heart disease. Now that I am older and I have read about different diseases I understand much of what he was going through. For instance his legs, ankle and feet were swollen most of the time. I too, was diagnosed with pre-hypertension two years ago. I always try to eat healthy and whenever I can I exercise. My doctor advised me to buy a blood pressure machine so that I can check my readings at home and record them. Clearly, heart disease is genetic in my family. My grandmother on my mother’s side also had heart disease and she died after a stroke. I interviewed two women at my workplace. The first woman I interviewed was an African American in her late fifties and the second woman I interviewed was Caucasian in her thirties. The African American woman said she is concerned about diabetes because she was diagnosed with the disease about five years ago and it runs in her family. The other woman I interviewed said she was concerned about cerebral palsy because her daughter suffers from the disease. We are all concerned about different diseases. Diabetes and heart disease are chronic and can be controlled while cerebral palsy is a non-life threatening permanent brain disease. However, we have something in common. We want to live a positive, healthy live and hopefully overcome our concerns about the diseases that affect our daily lives. 

Bio

My name is Yaweta Ndovi. I am originally from Zambia, Africa. My mother and seven sisters live in Zambia. I live in Little Elm, Texas. I am married and my husband and I have three sons. Our sons are ages 17, 11 and 4 years old. I work and go to school full time. I have been working as an accounts specialist at Capital One bank for 5 years. My hobbies are reading, shopping, attending fashion shows and spending time with my family.

I am a health studies major. I will graduate from Texas Women's University next year in December. After attaining my bachelor’s degree I plan to transfer to University of North Texas for a master’s in public health. My ultimate goal is to work for the United Nations or any other non-governmental organization in Sub- Saharan Africa. I am interested in women and children’s health. I believe a country or nation can only be successful if women and children are healthy. I expect to gain knowledge about women’s health from this class. Something unique about me, I was raised in home of females only so I have a strong passion for women and I am a girly girl. I also love to work with children.