How is it that Aaron Jackson, like Paul Farmer, is willing to pursue what seems impossible and make it look possible? How does traveling (as Jackson and Farmer did--fieldwork of a sort) a catalyst to change? How might your experience in the "field" with your mini-ethnography change you?
"CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" -- hosted by CNN's Anderson Cooper with Christiane Amanpour -- honors the most outstanding viewer-nominated CNN Heroes as chosen by a blue-ribbon panel of world leaders and luminaries."http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2007/09/11/heroes.aaron.jackson.cnn"These are some of the people among us who look around and see a world of possibility and hope. While they see people and places in need, they also see that their personal power can quietly accomplish remarkable things."
Medical Marvel: Aaron Jackson helps to provide de-worming medicine to Haitian children
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Jared Diamond's book Collapse discusses some of the reasons why Haiti is seen as such a lost cause, and why the Dominican Republic has done so much better economically.
Nicole Rosario
"For a pack of cigarettes you can deworm 250 children, a whole school" That line is scary in a sense. It goes to show that anything is possible and proves that nothing is impossible. When faced with hopeless problems it is so easy to accept the poverty instead of trying to enforce change. Poppa Jackson provides hope to the children of haiti he makes them smile. He saw something he would never have experienced back at home and decided to change it,he didnt have to and could of just let it be but he decided not to accept the ugly. Doing field may open your eyes to the endless opportunities around and how 1 person actually does make a difference. Change is possible even if it goes unnoticed.
My parents are from the Dominican Republic, which lies on the exact same island of Haiti, their very close neighbors. While on vacation in the Dominican Republic, I've encountered Haitian children, who crossed the border, begging for food from cars. They looked just like in the video of Aaron Jackson, with the inflated belly and how he explained the zombie look. I remember being younger and hoping the Haitian children wouldnt come up to the car because I wouldnt know what to do or how to face them. It is sad how so many people avoid these issues. It still amazes me that people like Aaron Jackson and Paul Farmer give up their whole lives to go save these children. It also makes me question myself, will I ever be a heroe, will I ever take initiative to help unfortunate people? One time in the Dominican Republic a Haitian girl, around the age of 7 or 8, came up to the car while I was eating cheese crackers. In another language she asked me for some, she held out her hand, and I understood. I gave her my cheese crackers, and felt proud, but was still left with the feeling that it wasnt enough. I wonder how much more I'm willing to give up now and in the future?
I have a similar experience form dominican republic. I think it was like three years ago when i was on a vacation in one of the resorts and with my brother I went little bit more away on the beach and met these boys form haiti. I rememebr that first we were scared but then we realized that they were ther eonly to look for food and then we decided to bring them a lot of food from the resort. They were very happy and i tryed talkign to them even tho we didnt understand each other but thats when i realized how blessed we all are to live lives we live. and it also came to me that person has to coem to this realization through personal experience in order for a change to happen in todays world. It is true that most of the politicians who get to make decisions dont have this first hand experience and therefore do not act the way they should be to help people around the world who live in extreme poverty. This world cant only relly on few people liek farmer who give up their lives for a good cause like this.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/09/11/jackson.heroes/index.html
"It only takes $20 to cure a child, Jackson said."
That is something extertemely powerful. Living, or going to school or work in such an overpriced city, 20 dollars is something most of us don't even think about when we spend it, let alone think that it could save someone's life.
"Since starting his project in Haiti, he has helped raise about $200,000 to support his work. The money flow is spotty at times, but he said he always gets funds when he needs them."
NOW lets look at these statistics...
"As of July 1, 2006, the population of the City of New York was 8,250,567,"
AND
"According to the U.N. World Food Program, an estimated half of Haiti's 8 million residents live with internal parasites. The Haitian Ministry of Health estimates that in some areas of the country, worms infect more than 40 percent of the children."
Which means that if everyone living in New York City donates 10$ , all of Haiti's population affected by this deadly problem can be cured.
Furthermore, in a city where advertisement RULES, aren't there enough tools to influence people to help a cause that is vital for the survival of a certain population rather than urging them to buy a brand of jeans or a big mac?
Valerie Grebenyuk
Its outstanding how one person can make such a difference in society. People like Paul Farmer and Aaron Jackson should truly me honored. They strive and give their lives to help people and children in need. They look past appearances to help people. The way Jackson describes the children with the extended stomach and begging for food is very sad. There are others like Jackson that are rewarded for their help all around the world. For example: Christopher & Dana Reeve have been awarded in many occasions for helping children in spite of their own limitations. Christopher kept contributing to this in spite of age and having physical limits of his own. These type of people help you analyze your life and think about what are you doing with it. They truly inspire me, as an individual, to become a better person. They are all indeed denoted "heroes" in society.
-Katherine Vasquez
I find it amazing how people like this exist in the world. It is people like Paul Farmer and Aaron Jackson who get things done and help make the world a better place to be and live in.I find it even more amazing that most of the people who are doing the real good in the world aren't even recognized, at least in the means of a celebrity status. To me, they are above celebrity because they are the difference makers in the world.
I also found it amazing that there are still a fw good people out there willing to help those is need. People like Aaron Jckson and Paul Farmer should be praised for their hard efforts and work that they put in to help save these children. It also inspires me to help children like the ones in Haiti, but of course I cannot contribute as much as Aaron Jackson or Paul Farmer can but hey, something is something :).
This also helps me appreciate the way I live and never take anything for granted. Another thing that this video reminds me of is when I visited my native country Ecuador. The last time I was in Ecuador was about 7 years ago and once I got off the plane and went outside, a group of children started begging me for money, and I was startled (I was only 10 at the time) because I didn't know what to do, but my parents took care of the situation. It saddened me because I realized that even my own people from my country are living in these poor conditions and I couldn't do much to help.
One of my dad's Uncles who live on the countryside in Ecuador, which is the town of Cuenca, also lived on very limited and poor conditions. They had a big house but it didn't have a floor, just dirt. My father of course saw this and was stunned because his Uncle never told him of this because he was ashamed of it. However, my father helped pay for everything and got his Uncle's family a strong cement floor. Ever since I saw my dad do this, I knew that I can always look up to him.
If we can help anybody, I'm sure it can be a huge difference for these people.
~~Colete~~
I want to be a doctor, and viewing things like this make me wonder. Why do I want to be a doctor? I begin to question if I need to sit in a classroom for years to learn how to help the needy. I suppose watching this and reading mountains beyond mountains answers my internal question. If I want to help all it takes is hard work.
i heard a quote recently saying "to solve unconventional problems we need to do things that are unconventional". paul farmer and aaron jackson found ways to help people that others thought could never be done before. i was watching tv and there was an Himalayan doctor who helped cure thousands who were blind by finding a new way to treat cataracts. the procedure was pretty simple and it was hard to believe that no one else had thought of what this doctor had discovered.
i think that it doesnt have to be only paul farmer and a small group of others who makes the change. we dont have to do a lot to contribute. we can elect governemnt that will solve soe of these issues or simply donate some money or do small things to save the enviroment. what i am tryign to say is tat if we reconsider all of our daily actions and try to do them ina better way that we respect our envoroment, culture and other people we can make a difference in the world collectively.
It's pretty hard for one man to be able to change the world. I never thought a man like Paul Farmer would be able to have such an positive impact on less fortunate people. It definately takes hardwork, will and desire to be able to accomplish such high goals. But now I see that it is possible!
Elvin Ramos
I think its great that there are people out there who are willing to help the less privilaged. For someone like him coming from a middle class backround and going to Haiti to save kids is really special. Just to think that for the price of a pack of cigarettes saving 250 kids from worms is good news, but at the same time makes me wonder why aren't more people helping if just that little can save a whole school?
it takes so little to help save a life but it seems no one is willing to do so. i think it's because we have been trained to be more preoccupied with getting the smallest necessities for ourselves that we forget about everyone else.
-Jenny U
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