Tracing welfare

Rich but still poor

Line Bjerregaard — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 07:04:00 GMT

By Njabulo Moyo

If you are looking for rich and “happy” people in the world then visit Denmark the land were education and health are for free. Rich people are not always happy as most of them leave empty lives without a meaning as they don’t have to struggle for survival and to attain resources. Happiness is an inner feeling of delight mainly as a result of doing well to society and your religion.

The Danish version of richness is financial and it tends to isolate religious values .It is a case of the poor go to church because they have a lot to ask and thank God for whilst the rich have everything and God is not worth worshipping .I wonder why the Danes are said to be the “happy” when they isolate foreign nationals as witnessed by the governments failure to integrate foreign nationals They take their privileges for granted and if only they knew of the struggles of a Zimbabwean child then they will realise the value of internal happiness.

Having interviewed many people in the main cities I have learnt that the local people are still poor in the soul I am not happy about the welfare system as the government continues to invest is small and stupid technological advancement which has resulted in many of them being lazy and unhappy because most of the jobs are done by computers.

A story about home, sweet home

Line Bjerregaard — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:49:00 GMT

BY Saumu Sheiza - Tanzania

On the picture: Gonzalo, Saumu and Peace

It was surpricing visiting a center for homeless people in Odense called Ågården, as I have never seen something like paid for by the state. The center takes care of people who are 18 years old and more. The municipality of Odense supports citizens in changing their behaviour and giving them training in social skills. I think it is a good way to reduce the number of people living in the street, and instead organise them by help them find a place they can call home for while.
I was surprised to see the private rooms and good kitchen. The center is running in a democratic way where those living there seems to have a lot of influence. The daily tasks are divided: cleaning, cooking and arranging trips out of the house.
I respect homeless people, because their destinies are often caused by drug abuse.
In Tanzania we do not have a place or a budget for helping the homeless. Being homeless in Tanzania is mostly a material problem: some simply cant afford a home. Many children are living on the street and be stigmatized due to malaria and AIDS. In Denmark, it seemed more complicated to me: it is all about the mind of the individual and lack of social skills - not necessarily because you cant afford a place to stay. As resources are limited in Tanzania, this would be a luxury problem.
A home like the center we have visited would be great to have in my home country. But so far, the homeless people of Tanzania are certainly not included in the state budget.

Clean water - a human right

Line Bjerregaard — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:27:00 GMT

By Samba Diallo, Mauritania

When I first looked at the map of our jouney, visiting Langeland has excited me the most. I come from Mauretania where water is to fight for. Famillies travel miles and miles seeking rain or any drop of water somewhere in the desert, and some never come back. So when I got off the ferry in Spodsbjerg I felt save. I was sure that at least i would not die of thirst. I remember that last time when I went on summer holiday, 60% of my lugage was about bags of water. Cause you never know where to find water again, and worst, clean water.
I live in the Capital city and still the question of water is not answered. Moreover, famillies form the country side come constantly to capital city, where at least they could find hope from politician who keeps promissing that the issue of water would be solved soon. Still, not yet . Consquently, the city becomes full of shanty towns, the few water pipes gets distroyed, by people who could not afford to pay the water bill, desperately tring to find water to drink.
I have often seen a perfect familly of 5 members suddenly reicieving five to six of their cousins from the country side fleeing from lack of water in their villages. Due to that the capital becomes overpopulated. Schools become over crowded, in hostpiatal, you can stand in a line for hours before seeing your doctor and youth from the country side get exposed and used by criminals or even terrorist groups. Women turn to prostitution, elderly and childern become begers walking around the streets.
Water is the most important human need, you die from thirst before you die from hunger. Lack of water is like the first domino piece causing an endless negative domino effect. Therefore the politicians should act quickly and find solutions of water. It’s such a shame that a countury of 3 millions habitant, on the coast of the Atlantic ocean, it’s citizen , fight, suffer and die of thirst .

Youth must fight for a positive image

Line Bjerregaard — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:23:00 GMT

By Rachel Gondo (Zimbabwe)

In the bus on my way to Vollsmose I was told that it’s a ghetto. The bus was full of immigrant-looking people, and I expected Vollsmose to be an overpopulated area with rowdy youth patrolling the streets. To my surprise I met with a group of intelligent and confident young people, just graduated high school, united by their multiculturalism.

Young people all over the world face a lot of social pressure. For the youth in Vollsmosse it is not any different. Having to constantly defend their race, religion and culture does not make life any easier. Although their basic needs are taken care of - education, health, shelter, clean water and food - by the state, welfare also refers to the psychosocial well being of a person.

To provide this need the ´Unge2Unge´ project is an initiative of the youth in Vollsmosse to send a positive message to their community and the rest of Danish society. This group of strong young people have set on a task of being good role models for other young adults and teenagers in their multicultural community. The youth project was motivated by the great deal of negative publicity the community has been receiving from all sorts of angles.

In Zimbabwe, the youth have also been facing rough times. This has in my opinion affected the positive growth of my generation. Due to the economic hard times my country went through, most young people were forced to abandon their studies. Girls as young as 12 were forced to turn to prostitution in order to bring food to the table for the rest of the family. Young boys resorted to serious crimes such as hijacking and armed robbery.

Youth in any country are the future. The young and the old must identify with each other regardless of race and/or religion as I believe that we are what we are because of each other. A positive and constructive mind in the youth is healthy for any nation’s welfare. I was encouraged to keep pushing for a positive image for the youth in Zimbabwe by the young, passionate people in Vollsmose. I realised that we are together in this fight.

A day in school with Gonzalo

Line Bjerregaard — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:05:00 GMT

By Gonzalo Chavarria, Nicaragua

On the picture: Gonzalo

Today at 8:00 AM I visited Sundhojskolen in Svendborg where I had to teach some classes about my country Nicaragua.
The school building looked more like a hotel because of the size and the many (class)rooms, than the old building I see when I go to school at home. In the school yard I saw a lot of happy children running around, playing loudly. I guess the energy comes from eating breakfast, which is a privilege most children in Nicaragua do not have. There the children are more shy and quiet, their eyes less careless.
Then I began teaching class in a 9th grade with 25 students, which is considerable less than the 40-50 pupils I use to share classroom with back home. I decided to tell them about something I figured teenagers would find interesting: sexual education in my home country. In Nicaragua it is taboo to talk about what sex is, prevention and sexual transmitted diseases in classrooms, due to religion and culture. Therefore many young girls get pregnant, without knowing how to deal with it.
The class told me that this topic is discussed in 3th grade already, and were thus surprised to hear about my childhood-realty.
However, I am lucky to even have an education. Because only 40 % of children finish their primary school, after that their parents do not have money to eat or buy schooluniforms.
I think one of the biggest reasons Denmark is doing good is because of education. You can feel it when talking to a person, when you see that they respect the traffic signs, when they do not throw garbage in the streets or when they build a country like Danish people have.
Education is a way out of poverty and a mean for society to get better. Therefore I wish Nicaragua manages to help the lacking 60 % finish primary school and thereby live up to the Millenium Development Goals.

Men are all the same

Line Bjerregaard — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:01:00 GMT

By Laura Wache, Mozambique

In Denmark we visited an instituition called Mandecentret (the Men Centre) in Aarhus that deals with men in crisis situations. I was quite surprised to hear about a centre for men, since I am from Mozambique and there I have never seen or heared of anybody talking about this kind of centres. In Mozambique, we have instistitutions for women only and gender discussions mostly concern women’s disadvantages and disvaluated positions compared to the male opponent.
I could understand that the Men Centre in Aarhus was recently established and a newer phenomenon in Denmark, but I find it quite inspiring. Men in Mozambique deal with similar problems like the men in Denmark. Typically, they frequent the centre due to a difficult divorce and they have troubles restarting their life. Instead of sharing their feelings and thoughts with friends like women often do, men tend to isolate themselves dealing with difficult emotions in less healthy ways. They may start drinking or start some kind of addiction, which only brings them futher into the crisis situation.
In Mozambique, men are also having problems dealing with divorce and that to an extent that they actually tend to kill themselves. The rate for suicide among young men is very high. I don’t know if it is possible to have these kinds of centres and support for them in Mozambique, but I imagine that a centre like the one in Aarhus could be helpful.

Men centres like the one in Aarhus could be seen as a sign of welfare in Denmark, because welfare to me among other things concerns gender equality

Young politicians should rule the world

Line Bjerregaard — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 09:19:00 GMT

By Collins Odhiambo, Nairobi, Kenya

On the picture Collins Odhiambo, Nairobi, Kenya

Today I visited a Municipality Hall where I met an only 22 year old politician from the Social Democratic Party. What a surprise! In Kenya nobody will accept a young Bachelor to represent them, because experience is measured with age, the older you are the more experience you are expected to have. According to the young politician, politics in Denmark is neither a career nor a way to make money, rather a service to people. To me this is a huge difference, Politicians in Kenya are the wealthiest, and can choose not to pay taxes.

More surprising to me was when he mentioned that the reason why the Danish society would elect younger persons to elective posts was because the ordinary citizens can’t be bribed or coerced to vote for a particular candidate who people don’t like. This is a sharp contrast to Kenya where bribery and threats during elections are the order of the day.

I have to admit that the visit to the Municipality has changed my perception of politics in general. And I hope that my people back at home will borrow a leaf from Denmark and start to elect politicians because of their policies and not because of the size of their wallets. The world needs fresh and innovative minds and this can only be got in our youths. I believe youths have so much to offer to the people and if they were given a chance in leadership positions, we would see a better world.

On the picture: Peace, Rachel, Gonzalo, Saumu, Collins and Samba

No woman should die while giving life

Line Bjerregaard — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 08:43:00 GMT

STORY BY LIZZIE CHIHANA

(on the picture), a pregnant women (5th month) from Zambia hitchhiking around Denmark tracing welfare.

As we sat down after dinner during coffee my host family asked me about the health system back home in Zambia which is in the southern part of Africa.
Being pregnant (5th month) for the first time it is not easy to get very good medical facilities in a developing country. My host family, whose wife is called Lara, is also expecting their first child. She told me how good and advanced the health system is in Denmark. As we talked I realised that we had all the same feelings of pregnancy and childbirth but yet our conditions are so different. She feels the baby kick like I do, I long to have a healthy baby, so does she, but she will bring life in a good, safe, and condusive environment. As for me I have to walk through the difficult and insecure path.

She mentioned how expectant mothers are taken care of during pregnancy and childbirth. They have their own midwives, doctors and they are prepared psychologically and physically.
It really grabbed my attention because it is nothing near, to what I come from. In Zambia it is a completely different and sad story, because the health system back home is so poor that one cannot afford to have their own doctor.

At the small clinics a pregnant woman does not get all the attention that she needs and deserves, this includes them not having access to an ultrasound because if you do not have money then everything is always expensive. This results in most women delivering the babies at home and puts them in a very risky situation, resulting into many deaths both by the mother and the new born.

During one of the hitchhiking tours, I was privileged to visit a fertility clinic and got ultrasound. This was the most amazing experience I have ever had. I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to see my unborn baby with modern technology. From the top of the head to the bottom. The doctor told me he could see if there was any kind of defect. I saw my babys bladder, spine, heartbeat, and all the movements it was making. Now that is every womans dream. And me just watching my baby with all the movements made me realise how backwards our technology is back home in Zambia.

As you read this you would probably wonder why a pregnant woman in her 5th month is hitchhiking around Denmark. Some would think it’s risky and very dangerous to stand by the road for a long time and carrying a big bag on your back. But to be honest it is much more safe than having no access to good medical facilities when giving child to a baby.

In a typical Zambian rural area some pregnant women have completely no access to any health or medical facilities while others have to walk many kilometres to get to the nearest health centre. That is why so many women die while giving birth and on their way to the clinics. I strongly believe and feel that pregnancy is a very sensitive and special time for every woman. Good medical facilities and health systems are every woman need and wish. If we could all the proper attention to each and every pregnant woman then this world would be a better place for that special time when one brings life to this world.

Life is precious and should not be taken for granted in any way. It is every mother hope that one should not die while giving life in this special way.

Danish way of dressing is a surprise

Line Bjerregaard — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 08:19:00 GMT

BY: Poverty Alfred Taban (Sudan)

Short skirts, tight trousers, shorts, and tops - I was choked and surprised when I first saw the Danish women way of dressing in real life, because women in southern Sudan may end up being arrested or even rapped by young men wearing clothes like the Danish women.

It seems that Danish women like to wear short skirt, pair of shorts and tight trousers or even slim fit. In my own opinion it seems like they are used to it and feels comfortable and confident dressed in this way and the government do not interfere.

The situation is quite different in southern Sudan. Here the tradition does not allow a dress code similar to the Danish because they find it being the western way of dressing, which may increase the rate of sexuality in the country, because such kind of dressing exposes the nakedness of women, which the tradition cannot allow.

Relating to the issue of such dressing many women were imprisoned last year for wearing tight trousers and “western clothes”. A female journalist was arrested, because she dressed in a pair of trouser but through media support she was luckily released.

Many of the students in southern Sudan are restricted to wear the school uniform and if they wish to differ from one another they are only allowed to use two peaces of private clothing. The explanation is that it is believed that they attract boys attention in school, and that they furthermore will end up going to discos.

Most tribes in southern Sudan don’t allow their children to put on trousers. And I don’t understand the importance of such kind restricted of dress code, but I am still not used to the women’s way of dressing in Denmark.

Only healthy souls can develop a society

Line Bjerregaard — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 08:08:00 GMT

By Apayi Nasab Peace, Uganda

On the picture Peace, Rachel and Saumu

The other day I visited a Danish hospital. I was amazed with the facilities – clean beds, free food, lots of nurses and plenty of space for the patients to feel comfortable.

This is totally contrary to the hospitals in Uganda. Here the rooms are very narrow with 25 crowded beds on each side of the walls. Patients of all ages and different diseases are mixed together - this can easily spread infections from one patient to another. Privacy is limited to people who can afford it – and they only get a thin curtain to devide their rooms. There are few nurses and one or two experienced docters per hospital who can not attend to thousands of patients who need to be exermined and treated as well. This eventually leads to high death rates without being attended to.

I experienced that Denmark enjoys free health services and have enough rooms to accomodate patients in all hospital centers. I have never attended free health services in my country because every health service you need costs a lot of money, even small things like toilet paper, gloves for the nurses and razar blades you have to pay for. Mattress and blanket you have to bring yourself.

I am glad for the Danish people because the state accounts for every citizen in aspect of health care. Healthy souls are important in achieving a welfare society and developing a country. I hope many developing countries like my country Uganda could adopt free health care.
Unless the developing states figure out to solve the health care problems for its citizens, it will take long to develop.

On the picture below: Peace

Public toilets are not for free

Line Bjerregaard — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 11:08:00 GMT

By John Mulingwa, Kenya

Picture taken by Njabulo Moyo
On the picture John Mulingwa

As a public toilet operator in Nairobi, Kenya, I never imagined that there would be pay toilets in Denmark. I was really surprised to find out that indeed there are public toilets. I only thought that it existed in Africa and Kenya to be specific. I could not believe my eyes until i paid 2 DKK to access the not so clean toilets.

It is interesting that these public toilets are manned by machines, whereas in Kenya it is an employment opportunity for many people .The machines are denying many Danes employment opportunities. My other observation is that people with disabilities have equal spaces in the toilets unlike in my country, where we only have one room which has given me a reason to lobby for the increase of rooms for people with disabilities.

Another thing I didn’t see in these toilets is showers whether hot or cold, which in Kenya is the opposite. You can take a shower while on transit. I would encourage the Danes whenever they visit Kenya to at least visit our public toilets and if possible take a hot shower in any of the public toilets. Also this brings more cross cultural relations and allows for room for comparison of the welfare systems.

Send me to prison, please!!

Line Bjerregaard — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:53:00 GMT

By Grasia Maria Banegas Estrada, Honduras

Here I am lying in my bed, considering seriously committing vandalisim in Demark. Nothing that requires blood, just something that will keep me locked up for at least a year. Recently, I visited a Danish institution for criminal youth called Solhaven. This place is the last stop before regular imprisonment. Solhaven is the last opportunity for young kids to change their criminal ways. The innovative part of the centre is that they use care and involment instead of punishment and consequence in their quest to rehabilitate the young criminals.

Judging from the state of this institution, welfare in Denmark is just overwhelming compared to Honduras. The quality of the homes in which these kids are being taken care of is just too perfect to be called a prison. A normal Honduran would have to work 10 years straight and have two jobs a day in order to live similar to how these kids live. Still they wouldn’t be able to pay for trips to Italy and skiing in the holidays, which are common holiday activities at Solhaven.

Solhaven is indeed a piece of heaven... No average Honduran kid would be able to receive these privileges (not to mention the young criminals), having a room with a flat screen television inside just for yourself, a game room in which you can play pool and minisoccer - this Honduran kids can only dream about. In Honduras, if you are given sentence to prison then you have to share a room with four more criminals regardless of the age and crime they comitted. Have you ever heard the say, “eye for eye, tooth for tooth”? Well in Honduran prisons the word is that if you are sent to prison because of rape, the punishment you get is that they arrange 15 big men waiting for you in a cell to rape you.

So if you see a Honduran girl looking a bit like Pocahontas beware - because I may still be thinking a bit of doing vandalism, since I always have wanted to go skiing on Christmas.

Pre-experiencing Danish winter

Line Bjerregaard — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:48:00 GMT

By Lucy Fondo (Kenya)

A Kenyan winter is a Danish summer. This early morning in Hirsthals is cold and rainy day and we are going to a fish auction on the harbour. Due to the weather the amount of fish today are not overwhelming but the technology is devastating compared to what Kenyan fishermen are experiencing.

In Kenya the fishermen are not as well organised and controlled as in Denmark. Normally every fishermen fish for himself and sometimes fishermen end up being arrested by the neighbouring country’s navy for fishing and trespassing international borders. This happens because of the competition of catching more fish.

Danish fishermen has also experienced competitions and some have also tried to fish outside the permitted territory but the strict control of the fishing makes it very difficult to come around the authorities and not being caught with illegal fish. The fish are counted and the prices are regulated and governed by the public market price.

In Kenya price control is foreign to many fishermen and the market is based on “first-come-first-service”- basis. No standard number of fish per day is registered and recorded and it is based on presumptions most of the time. As the day goes by they lower the prices, because of the poor preservation methods making the fish go bad.

At the auction in Hirtshals we experienced less than 5 degrees and my legs still feels sore from the cold. If this cold is a pre-experience on Danish winter I imagine that I could end up like the dead and frozen fish on ice easily during the coldest months in Denmark.

Even children can be made by machines

Line Bjerregaard — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:32:00 GMT

By Sony Valentino, South Sudan.

When visiting a fertility clinic in Brædstrup yesterday I realized that having a child is not something to do with man and woman alone but we can get children also by machines and this can help people who are not able to get babies by themselves. According to own thought I was thinking women alone con not make babies but I was suppress to hear that the Danish Government can allow two ladies to be to gather as couples but they can still have a child if they want to and its by use of the machines i.e. artificial insemination.
I also came to learn that I can still get a child when getting old. The doctor was able to tell us clearly the reason why many Danish women delay to have a child. They want to achieve certain goal in life before having a baby. For example they want to complete their education, have a car and many other things that the Danish people think it is good to have them first then one can have a child after. In south Sudan women often have children from the age of 16. `
However in south Sudan many women often have some biological problems that they cannot get babies by themselves. Such kind of women end up with stress because there is no fertility clinic found in south Sudan were one can get a baby. In south Sudan if a woman is not able to get a baby, she is always in trouble were she will be despised in the family, the husband will divorce her and the in lows will also stigmatize her for not having a child – they will say you are eating our food for nothing and yet you were here to multiply the number of our family. Some of these women do not feel good because they are over looked. But in Denmark sperms are kept in class containers that the doctor who works in the fertility clinic can be able to make babies for those who cannot make by themselves, this has surprised me.
Although there are women who goes to antenatal clinic, but the quality is not like what happens in Denmark.
Therefore the health care in Denmark is for everybody regardless of being poor or rich.
Among the participants who came from different developing countries in Africa, one of the lady from Zambia is pregnant so she was able to see her baby in the scan machines in the fertility hospital in Denmark.
Women in south Sudan have big problems in the presses of laborer even if they can get babies by themselves.

Why the danes suffer from pshychiatric problems

Line Bjerregaard — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 09:48:00 GMT

By
John Mulingwa

Picture painted by Luis Marcussen better know as the artist Ovartaci, who was hospitalised for 56 years at the psychiatric hospital in Risskov, which was the first psychiatric hospitals in Denmark (1852). The hospitals founders believed that patients should be allowed to express the selves through art - a tradition which is still on going at Risskov Psychiatric Hospital today.

Picture taken by John Mulingwa at Psychiatric Museum, Ovartaci, Risskov Århus

As a 27 year old youth leader and human rights activist from Kenya, I have learnt that the Kenyan welfare system for the people with psychiatric problems is still far much behind and in a sorry and miserable state as compared to the Danish system. Psychiatric patients are isolated and in many cases they are in a prison like situation. Psychiatric problems are not viewed as an illness but as a spell that occurs due to witchcraft. In the Kenyan society stereotype beliefs such as witchcraft are adopted towards psychiatric patients because of lack of knowledge and the advice they get from the traditional healers .Culturally it is seen as curse and punishment for a wrong doing either by the person or their relatives.

Our health care system has failed to deliver and carter for people with psychiatric problems. This is mainly a result of the fact there has been an exodus of doctors to Europe in search for better salaries and living conditions and no research has been conducted so far to assess the situation. Statistics in Kenya show that many young people suffer from depression and drugs and substance abuse which can be dealt with through counselling and recreational programmes. Upon talking to one psychiatric professor (Raben Rosenberg), from the department of Psychiatry in Risskov (Aarhus) I learnt that Denmark has the capacity to treat patients with the use of advanced technology such as computer data capturing and the use of brain scanning machines. One wonders why the Danes suffer from psychiatric problem in a welfare system that is well organised.

The hospital is in an impressive status as witnessed by the happy and creative patients. The Kenyan situation has been worsened by the fact that information dissemination is poor and has a propaganda agenda. We only have one psychiatric hospital in the capital city (Nairobi) which makes it inaccessible by the patients. I would encourage the Danish people to at least have an exchange programme with the Kenyan doctors and health care workers on how to improve our health care system and it will be an important initiative since we have a new constitution that guarantees right to health care to all the citizens.