A lesson I learned in Cambodia is that the key prerequisite for creativity is desire. People can come up with inspiring outside the box solutions to the most vexing of problems if the problems mean enough to them. Nowhere is this more apparent than the organization Operation ASHA. Operation ASHA is out to solve one of the most complex problems in the developing world, diagnosing and treating TB patients. These patients are in the far corners of rural areas, often inaccessible by car. Even when the potential patients can be reached they sometimes do not believe they need to be treated for TB, or they start treatment but, when they begin feeling better, they stop taking medication which can lead to drug resistant TB. However, to Jacqueline Chen and the rest of the Operation ASHA team, this problem is an exciting opportunity to make Cambodia a better place.
Tackling TB means reaching remote villages where the roads at best look like this
During our first day at the office, Jacqueline explained to us that the information we had about Operation ASHA in Cambodia was old news. While we had expected Operation ASHA to be operating a singular model in two provinces, Jacqueline instead showed us Operation ASHA was operating 3 models in 6 provinces. Most surprising in this update was not the growth in size but the new variations in their diagnosis and treatment methods. Jacqueline and the team had not hesitated to completely adjust the way ASHA conducted operations for the opportunity to reach more people. When stipulations in a USAID grant for the Mondulkiri province made it so Operation ASHA employees could not take sputum tests or deliver the drugs, they arranged to train government Village Health Support Group (VHSG) members to complete those tasks. When a Global Fund grant for a project in Sihanoukville prompted another pivot, they created a program where an ASHA employee would raise awareness and take sputum tests among high risk groups in community meetings. Operation ASHA in Cambodia could twist and contort itself in new ways if that is what it took to reach another community.
An example of Operation ASHA’s new model in Mondulkiri, training VHSGs
This was my day to day inspiration. Rather than the wild and crazy being the most impactful, it was the ordinary. Everyday Operation ASHA employees were looking for creative solutions and everyday Operation ASHA employees would arrive at work before Misja and I did at 8:30 am, and many of them would still be there at 5:00 pm when we left. This wasn’t just Monday through Friday either, they also came in on Saturdays. It was a daily grind motivated by the desire to make the country they lived in a better place. Growing up the people I looked most up too were athletes. However, I wasn’t interested in the rich talented superstars, I was interested in the gritty role players who made a living off of giving 110% every single day. Operation ASHA’s team was inspirational in that same way. Their daily grit and determination to do good work showed what it meant to find something you care profoundly about and to then make a career in that cause. Because of this, one of the foremost highlights of the trip was the last day. There was a farewell dinner for us at a local restaurant and when Jacqueline and other members of the office spoke and thanked us for our work I was floored. To know they believed that we cared about the cause and to know they thought we were dedicated is a greater feeling than any academic award.
The Operation ASHA team and us on our last full day in country
This experience of witnessing creative minds driven by passion was also a personal vocational lesson. I do not know right now if the developing world is where I want to work. I do know, though, that I want to experience the same day to day creative process of having to overcome challenging obstacles for the betterment of the people around me. It is not just more fulfilling but it is more enjoyable. Even though when it rained the office smelled like sewage and I consistently hit my head on the five foot nine door frames, I’ve never had more fun coming into the office. Tackling exciting and challenging projects that are of value to the community is reenergizing everyday. The entire office feels the same way and that creates a positive work energy that is hard to articulate but certainly exists. I can imagine doing many things in life in many different areas, but I cannot imagine working at a place without the same energy, the same creativity, and the same dedication.
Our last field visit before walking on towards the next big adventure