Submitted by Andrea Hooley (not verified) on Thu, 01/03/2008 - 20:48.
I wish this document was a prequisite for every visitor to Haiti - medical or not. Cultural competency is paramount to effective service of any kind. I am a RPCV from Haiti, and my hubby is Haitian - I think you're right on the money with your description of the Haitian context. Even with my background in cultural anthropology, I struggled with ethnocentrism that caused too much idealogical fumbling, while trying to get things started in my site. (Let me assure you, I wasn't the only one) I wish I would have developed a profound sense of cultural competency before my service even began. To add truth and controversy -I wish I spent more time developing this approach rather than obsessions with appropriate technology and other things of that nature, which just turned me into a sort of girl scout camped out in Haiti, rather than an effective service provider. Thanks for the document, I will be referring to it for future endeavors in Haiti!
Cultural competency
I wish this document was a prequisite for every visitor to Haiti - medical or not. Cultural competency is paramount to effective service of any kind. I am a RPCV from Haiti, and my hubby is Haitian - I think you're right on the money with your description of the Haitian context. Even with my background in cultural anthropology, I struggled with ethnocentrism that caused too much idealogical fumbling, while trying to get things started in my site. (Let me assure you, I wasn't the only one) I wish I would have developed a profound sense of cultural competency before my service even began. To add truth and controversy -I wish I spent more time developing this approach rather than obsessions with appropriate technology and other things of that nature, which just turned me into a sort of girl scout camped out in Haiti, rather than an effective service provider. Thanks for the document, I will be referring to it for future endeavors in Haiti!