OP-ED On the same map-Hope is a human right

Author: Hannah Burnett

With over a billion people in our world living on less than a dollar a day, the problems of extreme poverty and disease can be daunting, to say the least. It can be hard enough to even imagine such suffering as a part of our world, let alone begin thinking about how to end this inequality. It can be frightening, disheartening and threatening to our very identity to realize that such suffering and inequality exists. Social justice advccate Ophelia Dahl commented on this reality: "I think there's a point where you realize the world has just been revealed to you … It's sort of, oh no, things will never be quite the same again." But with the feelings of discomfort, indignation and occasional hopelessness that come with acknowledging these problems comes an opportunity for solidarity and hope.

The photo exhibit "On the Same Map: Hope is a Human Right" brings these situations of destitution and suffering to life, from the villages of rural Rwanda to the hills of Haiti and the streets of Boston. It's done not through stories of despair, but instead through highlighting incredible human dignity in the face of unacceptable suffering and inequality. This exhibit, which will be displayed in McCardell Bicentennial Hall starting Feb. 18, depicts the work of Partners in Health (PIH), a Boston-based international non-profit dedicated to providing a preferential option for the poor in health care.

PIH is known for its innovative model of providing training, health care and social and economic support in the world's poorest places, working with communities and through the public sector to create lasting change. PIH works on the belief that health is not a privilege but a fundamental human right and their success, from MDR-TB treatment in the prisons of Siberia to reducing mother to child transmission of HIV in rural Rwanda, is awe-inspiring. A founding director of PIH, Medical Anthropologist and Physician Paul Farmer is yet another source of inspiration and hope for ending the poverty and disease that plagues our globe. Farmer is profiled in the book "Mountains Beyond Mountains: Healing the World" by Tracy Kidder (for those of you who haven't read it yet, it's a great Winter Term read!) Also check out Farmer's "Pathologies of Power". Farmer is an inspiration because of his work with PIH, through which he has revolutionized the realm of international health and development. In PIH, each one of us has a vehicle for participating in crucial work for change. The answer to extreme poverty and suffering is not ignoring it, but building a community of support and of hope.

The problems of the world are real, but they are not insurmountable and one person can make a difference. I encourage everyone to visit the exhibit and participate in the various events of this spring's MCAB Symposium: "Healing Humanity - Perspectives on Global Public Health" and witness the incredible capacity of people to care.