The internal humor now at the FHI office is about me and how I picked just the right time to come and work with FHI, when almost all things could potentially go haywire since the major sources of support and funding—USAID & AusAID, in addition to CDC—are all coming and staying for the next two weeks to review strategic partnerships and alliances, past and present statistical data, potential pitfalls, and current issues and dilemmas. I really do not mind at all that I am put at the back burner at this time because the Country Director, Deputy Country Director, and the rest of the staff are shuffling to get all materials and data together for professional presentations, of course with the primary objective of securing more funding and continuing the present, working relationships. In the interim, I am proactively and strategically inviting myself to most, if not all, of the meetings that have something to do with the clinics that I will be working with, and rightfully so because I really do need to know the issues and trends within these health centers. I am also delightfully stamping the brand of “Pfizer Global Health Fellows Program” whenever I can and have everyone be aware of what Pfizer, a global Fortune 500 company and the largest in the pharmaceutical industry worldwide, is doing to advance and promote global health and positive health outcomes. I wanted them to know that Pfizer will most probably welcome another invitation to have a Global Health Fellow work alongside an NGO in Papua New Guinea, not just Family Health International (FHI), but also PSI, WaterAid, HOPE Foundation, Save the Children, maybe even USAID. The visitors bearing gifts came from all directions around the globe, some from Washington, DC; Manila, Philippines; Bangkok, Thailand; and Beijing, China. Somehow, I felt really important today to be sitting with global health professionals in this roundtable and providing input in addressing simple, and yet complicated issues within the clinics. And to my surprise, ALL of them were aware of my impending arrival to PNG as Global Health Fellow and Ambassador from Pfizer, and were delighted that someone in my capacity actually did agreed and accepted the Fellowship position for six months! FHI and the rest of the team supposedly anticipated that none will apply for the position at PNG, mainly because of the negative reputation of the country in terms of high rates of violence and crime, let alone the ridiculously inflated sets of prices and costs of living. I was most welcome, I suppose! But I also told them it is both a privilege and a wonderful opportunity indeed in my part as a nurse practitioner to be working alongside an international NGO such as FHI and provisioning primary care and clinic management as well as advancing sexual health, minimizing STD/STI, and providing counsel and health directives to Papua New Guineans. So it will be a very busy two weeks for FHI and staff while I sit and observe interactions, attend meetings, and go along with FHI and the visitors to do site visitations. It is not my time yet to actually get my hands dirty and work, but I already have some working opinions and drafts in my head that I want to put on the table, soon after the visitors are gone and FHI have had some time to breathe and relax.
On a personal level, I feel that I accomplished something big this week. I actually hired a native Papua New Guinean with a car living in the settlement as my personal driver. Gary (the newly hired) was strongly referred to me by Gideon (the FHI driver who comes and picks me up every morning). Both are good mutual friends living on the same settlement around town. I drafted a document this afternoon that details the employment terms, duties, requirements, and payment schedule. In my previous blog, I believe I mentioned that transportation in here is a big issue since taxi rides can be very expensive. It can go as high as 30 to 40 Kina one way, and not roundtrip, way above the allocated budget that I have. If I do this on a daily basis, it will not be very cost effective. I am also strongly advised against using the PMV (Public Motor Vehicle, or bus) even though they are relatively cheap. One ride costs about 50 to 80 toea (to-yah), which is equivalent to that of 50 to 80 cents. However, safety and security will be of utmost concern since the bus is overcrowded and I will be a primary target of robbery and who knows what else by raskols (rascals). PMV rides I believe is one of the only two things that are found to be cheap here in PNG, the other is the betel nut. On a side note, I will be writing a paper regarding betel nut and the habit of chewing this so stay tune on this. So with Gary, we agreed that I will pay him 125 kina a week, and salary will be every two weeks. He will pick me up at the house at 0730 and drop me off at FHI; then pick me up again at 1700 at FHI and drop me off at the house, Monday through Friday. Ad-hoc drives on the weekend on a PRN (as needed) basis for shopping, errands, and leisure will be an additional 30 Kina roundtrip. He promised me that he is trustworthy, reliable, honest, punctual, and generally a good man, with a valid driver’s license, insurance, and registration. He actually told me that once a Don Bosconian himself, he used to work and drive for Don Bosco Seminary School in the Philippines and that he is fond of the Filipinos because he knows them well having worked and lived there for quite some time. He assured me that not only will he be my driver; he will also be my security person. I like this man a lot—an honest man, a father to 4 biological daughters and 1 adopted son, and a husband—so I hired him, we shook hands, and signed both copies of the Employment Agreement.
No comments:
Post a Comment