the peace corps and papua new guinea: one volunteers experience brian engel, ph.d. texas tech health...
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The Peace Corps and Papua New Guinea: One Volunteer’s Experience
Brian Engel, Ph.D.Texas Tech Health Sciences CenterSchool of Medicine, Class of 2016
Overview:The Peace CorpsPapua New Guinea at a GlanceMy ExperiencesHealth in PNGQuestions
The Peace Corps:•Background• Snapshot
The Peace Corps: BackgroundMottoThe Toughest Job You’ll Ever Love.MissionThe Peace Corps' has 3 simple goals: 1. Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
The Peace Corps: BackgroundMissionThe Peace Corps' has 3 simple goals: 2. Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
The Peace Corps: BackgroundMissionThe Peace Corps' has 3 simple goals: 3. Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.
The Peace Corps: BackgroundHistory• 1960, JFK speech• 1961, Established• 1961, 1st Volunteers (Ghana)
The Peace Corps: Snapshot• 8,000 Currently serving• 210,000 Have served
The Peace Corps: Snapshot
Facts and Stats62% Female, 38% Male93% single, 7% marriedAvg. age: 28 years7% over 50 years old
The Peace Corps: Snapshot• Have served in 139 countries• Currently serving in 76 countries
(orange)
The Peace Corps: SnapshotWhere we serve
43%
21%
15%
10%
4%4% 3%
AfricaLatin AmericaEastern Europe/Central AsiaAsiaCaribbeanNorth Africa/Middle EastPacific Islands
The Peace Corps: SnapshotHow we serve
43%
21%
12%
12%
6%4%2%
Education
Health
Community Economic Devel-opment
Environment
Youth in Development
Agriculture
Other
The Peace Corps: Snapshot• Under the U.S. State Department• Annual Budget: $373 Million
Peace Corps B-2 Bomber Aircraft Carrier Department of Defense
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Relative Costs
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The Peace Corps: Snapshot• Under the U.S. State Department• Annual Budget: $373 Million
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Relative Costs
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The Peace Corps: Experience in Brief
• Application Process (6-12 months)• Offer Letter• Staging• Training (3 months)• Site (2 years)• Conferences• Returning Home
The Peace Corps: Experience in Brief
• Host provisions• Pay, health, travel• Benefits (Loan deferment, partial
cancellation, readjustment allowance, networking, educational opportunities)
Papua New Guinea: Brief Overview
• Geography• History• Demographics• Cultures
Papua New Guinea: Geography
• Geography• History• Demographics• Cultures
Papua New Guinea: Geography
Equator!
Papua New Guinea: Geography
Papua New Guinea: Geography
• Shares New Guinea with Indonesia (West Papua/Irian Jaya)
• Tropical• Many islands• Mountainous• Active Volcanoes• Earthquakes• Two seasons: Wet and Dry
Papua New Guinea: GeographyEarthquakes, Volcanoes and Tsunamis
Papua New Guinea: GeographyEarthquakes, Volcanoes and Tsunamis
Papua New Guinea: GeographyEcology: Fauna
• 0.5% of Land• 4% of Lizards and Mammals
(world’s smallest frog)• 4% of Butterflies• 7% of Birds• 8% of Vertebrates• 10% of Fish (coral reefs)
Papua New Guinea: HistoryPre-History: artifacts dating back to about 60,000 B.C.E.
Papua New Guinea: History
Modern History:• Agrarian and Hunter-gatherer lifestyles• 1526 Contact with Portugese• 1545 Contact with Spainards (New
Guinea)• 1870s Contact with Russian
Anthropologist• 1900s – “First Contact” with
Westerners
Papua New Guinea: History
Modern History:• Late 1800s – European colonization• WWII – Japanese invasion• Sept. 16, 1975 Independence
Papua New Guinea: History
WWII
Papua New Guinea: History
WWII
• Population: 7,000,000For comparison:• Switzerland, Bulgaria, Israel, Hong
Kong, Nicaragua, Denmark) • Arizona, Washington, Virginia• Houston, DFW
Papua New Guinea: Demographics
Biggest Cities:• Port Moresby (Capital): 250k (= Lubbock)• Lae: 120k
Papua New Guinea: Demographics
• Arawa: 36k •Mt. Hagen: 28k
Papua New Guinea: DemographicsDiversity
Papua New Guinea: DemographicsDiversity
Papua New Guinea: DemographicsDiversity
Papua New Guinea: DemographicsDiversity
Papua New Guinea: Food
• Sweet Potato• Taro, Sago, Banana• Pigs (special occasions)• Fish• Fruits
Papua New Guinea: Miscellany
• Economy: mining, sustenance farming• Languages: 800+ spoken! (over 10% of
the world’s languages), Tok Pisin, Motu, English
• One of the most missionized countries in the world, now 96% Christian with remaining traditional beliefs
Papua New Guinea: My Experience
• Training• Port Moresby
Papua New Guinea: My Experience
• Training• Goroka• Village Stay
Papua New Guinea: My Experience
• Training• Language• Culture• Teaching
Papua New Guinea: My Experience• Lae• Teaching• Bugandi Secondary School
Papua New Guinea: My Experience
Education System:• National Exams• School Fees• Boarding• Student jobs• Facilities
Papua New Guinea: My ExperienceCampus
Papua New Guinea: My ExperienceCampus
Papua New Guinea: My Experience• No Internet• A few school computers• No TV• School phone only• Read scores of books• Wrote and received hundreds of letters• No car - PMVs• No restaurants – cooked• Regular but unreliable electricity
Papua New Guinea: Health+
• 5 Physicians/100,000 (US: 240)• Health care spending $115, 4.3% GDP
(US: $8,608, 17.9%)• Life expectancy 65F/61M (US: 79)
Papua New Guinea: Health+
• Maternal mortality 250/100,000 (10)• Under 5 mortality 63/1000 (6)• Fertility rate: 3.9/woman (1.9)• Contraception (P): 36%• Pre-natal visits: 29% (90%)• Attended births: 43% (99%)
Papua New Guinea: Health+• Malaria: 17,943/100,000 (I)• HIV/AIDS: 396/100,000 (P) (US: 19)• Tuberculosis: 534/100,000 (P) (US: 3)• Hepatitis A• Typhoid• Hepatitis B• Japanese Encephalitis• Dengue Fever• Hook worm
• Urban living: 12% (US: 82%)• Literacy 57% (US: 99%)• Mean BMI: 25M, 26F (29 M/F)• Tobacco: 58%M, 31%F (22%/17%)• Alcohol disorders: 3.8%M, 0.1%F• Rape• Buai
Papua New Guinea: Health+
Buai (Betel Nut, Areca Nut)
Buai (Betel Nut, Areca Nut)
Buai (Betel Nut, Areca Nut)
Buai (Betel Nut, Areca Nut)
• Carcinogen(gums, mouth, pharynx, esophogus, stomach)• Teratogen
Questions?