Half The Sky Summary

Words: 435
Pages: 2

Out of sight, out of mind. It is very easy to get distracted by the reality of how far our healthcare practice and resources have come in the west and lose sight of the daily struggles many women are still facing in developing nations. In the book, Half the Sky, Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn shine a spotlight on the plague of rape, maternal and infant mortality and complications during and post childbirth in the rural communities of developing countries (2009). Within these rural communities’ women are at risk for developing fistulas due to the complications of childbirth. These women who have undergone complications of labor such as decrease effacement, and/or active labor for days, are at risk for developing a fistula, vaginal wall …show more content…
These experiences can mentally, physically and emotionally scar these women for a lifetime. During my undergraduate studies, I minored in public health and learned of the epidemiology of global health issues, such as HIV/AIDS, maternal mortality and much more. The highlights of the extreme issues of young women developing fistula in Somaliland and the significant increase of rape in young girls and women in Sierra Leone were not discussed. Unfortunately, materteral mortality was primarily discussed in numbers, abstract to its dramatic reality highlighted by the text. According to Kristof and WuDunn (2009), “it is global indifference that leaves 3 million women and girls incontinent…[and]…one maternal death every minute” (pp.98,93). The notion that these women are suffering simply because they were born on the wrong continent at the wrong time is impactful. The lack of resources and education available to these communities has a devastating long-lasting impact on developing nations.
As a future nurse, I now understand this disturbing reality. To improve the plight of women locally, regionally and globally, I believe that educating young women will be the key to improving and hopefully eradicate this reality for future generations to