Landmine Issue
A content folio for "Helping Hands Program Australia", done through adopting different angles to discuss the predicament faced by war-torn countries
Losing a part of you
We are of the same species with similar body structure. However when a severe mishap befalls upon us, it changes our perception of the world. One of which is an injury that affects our basic living situation or even strips away our dignity. By losing a limb or even both... How it happens People living in urban areas are more familiar with reasons such as serious accidents, burns, frostbites, and illnesses such as Buerger’s disease and neuroma. However what we are not fully aware of is the main cause of amputation in rural areas, a place where landmines were planted during the war. In a book written by Monin and Gallimore, they found that the frequency of a landmine blast happens about 2000 to 3000 times a month, leaving the victims heavily wounded or even dead. In addition, a medical research by Choudhary provided in-depth details on the various physical impairments, ranging from chest wall injuries, superficial facial tissues, lower limb fractures that affect the ability to support the body weight, and upper limbs. Depending on which limbs are affected, basic daily activities such as household chores, cooking, getting dressed and writing has turned into a challenge. Individuals may also experience discomfort on the residual arm, back, and phantom-limb pain which is a condition where the nerves sends aching signals to the brain. These bodily changes alter a person’s routine, behaviour and attitude towards life. The reaction towards amputation is diverse as it depends on the patients’ needs, age, and lifestyle. Victims require attention and support from medical staff, friends and family, as they may face tremendous negativity, which ranges from physical pain to psychological trauma. Stages of grief towards their loss Examined from a surgical angle, there are five psychological stages patients go through before amputation. The first stage is when patients refuse to believe or engage in conversations relating to the amputation. Next comes anger, where the patients start blaming everyone else for their misfortune such as their doctors for cheating them into agreeing to this procedure. This brings them to the bargaining stage where they try delay the amputation process. The fourth stage switches anger into depression where negative feelings about their environment and future overwhelms them. This leaves them feeling hopeless or suicidal, as they felt that they have lost their independence along with part of their body. Lastly, acceptance and hope comes when they recognize losing a limb and learn that they can survive despite this predicament. This is usually reached when patients are in the rehabilitation process. Mental issues faced by victims. Documented in the research report from Cavanagh et al., they notice that patients who underwent surgical amputation are less prone to Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder (PTSD) as compared to those with shocking mishaps. This shows that the victim’s response varies on what lead to the loss of limb. PTSD is a common mental health issue seen among individuals faced with a traumatic accident. Among amputees, PTSD comes in two forms. The first is flashbacks and nightmares that constantly haunt the victims, while second is the fear of losing their freedom, or injuring the other limb that they are dependent on.
“I felt guilty in going because of what happened. I lost all my men in my squad... I have it every night when I sleep and it wakes me up. And it all comes back to you, different portions of what happened.”
– Frank an interviewee from a research paper by Foote et al,.
“I don’t want to lose this other leg. I have this fear of this other leg going away on me... I have to kind of leap into the shower with the one foot and one leg, and my body is no longer up to that.”
– Chris an interviewee from a research paper by Foote et al,.
In the paper from Cavanagh et al., the younger generation who had loss their limbs through vehicle accidents were depressed as they are unable to accept the sudden setback. It explains that they were in disbelief of their predicament and felt inferior, as they are now different from their peers. This leads them into isolating themselves and bottling up their woes. In situations where they have PTSD, victims may resort to drug and alcohol usage to temporary ease and forget about the pain. Some may even considering suicide to permanently end their agony. Going through rehabilitation.
“I had no one to talk to. I had no one to relate to. I was so alone that I contemplated suicide most of the time... PTSD is probably the worst thing I’ve had to deal with.” – Keith an interviewee from a research paper by Foote et al,.
During the rehabilitation process, morale support and acceptance from friends and families is important to get them through the mental hurdles and adapt to life after amputation. Introducing an amputee who had overcome this also provides them with encouragement in life. It is essential to allow amputees to feel useful and independent again by teaching them how to handle basic actions such as eating or walking, even without a limb. This helps them get over PTSD and carry on with their routine. In addition, medical professionals are available to help both patients and their family in coping with the change. This includes training in adapting to clutches or prosthetic, and evaluating on the need for extra equipment in their house for safety. Prosthetic limbs are created with the purpose of replacing lost limbs due to an accident, congenital defect, or illness. Done for aesthetic or usability purpose, the prosthesis is attached to the residual limb to control movement. As compared to urban societies where amputated victims have therapy sessions well planned by professionals, rural and developing countries do not have the capability to do so. During an informal interview with Matt Henricks, founder of ‘Helping Hands Program’, he shared that certain villagers believe that landmine victims deserved this karma, thus they were shunned and hidden by outsiders.
“Maybe the ones who die are luckier. But if we die, or turned blind, it is the same thing. Our families are left with no one to support them,” – Maazik a recount taken from The Guardian, written by Borger, Julian.
In a research by Foote et al., by studying the long-term health and quality of life of Vietnam amputated veterans, results shows that 17.8% of its participants suffered from depression while 15.8% from PTSD. Participants were tormented for years without mental healthcare attention as they kept their psychological condition to themselves. Taking into consideration that these analysis was conducted in nations with accessible and advanced healthcare services, what about amputees from third world countries?
Their 'new' perspective of the world
"I can rebuild two lives, theirs and mine."
A recount by a tertiary student on the Accredited Facilitator program organised by helping hands program. “What must I do to put myself in a better position when competing with others who graduated from local universities?” questioned Carrie who is a private college student sharing her worries of what may befall her upon entering the workforce in six months. With numerous universities in Singapore, the blood thirst and drive among graduates intensify in contrast to what was seen ten years ago. As I go through several blogs and forums, which is a representation of the voices of Singaporeans, it made me wondered how our curriculum vitae gets passed through the first round. Whether did companies filter them based on the applicants’ qualifications, skills, university attended, or internship experiences, we can't be certain which of these plays a bigger role. During lectures, our professor constantly reminded us on building a strong portfolio by participating in enrichment courses and internship programs. He highlights that firms look for applicants who possess relevant working experience from a reputable company, have recognition for leadership skills, exceptional grades, and involvement with external activities. This is to prove their capability to effectively communicate with the team and manage the resources. However with the tight school schedule, how can students have ample time to plan and prepare to reach the benchmark set? How can we fit in external activities? Where can students look for leadership coaching programs rather than attending mundane talks? The light to our sorrows The door opened, and a man, wearing a black suit invited us to take a seat. The chairs were arranged in groups of three, with a box placed at the middle of the table. I scanned the classroom for a comfortable spot, then ease myself in while waiting for more attendees. As the room began filling up, I started to become tenser as the pressure of being in a room with other aspiring leader gets to me. I guess the man in the suit observed my emotional response and commenced the program slightly earlier.
“To start with, I’m Matt Henricks, an organizational psychologist. I am currently spending most of my time on a charitable project within my consultancy company. My passion is in helping employees change their approach towards work, and this begin from students as they will be the future fore-runners of the evolving economy.” he said. Matt added, “You must be wondering, what is inside that container? Well before we get down to business, as a facilitator, we must first familiarise ourselves with the subject that we will be handling when guiding our team”. He took out a brown clasp from the white pouch, and demonstrated how that mechanism worked. As he grabbed a cup with the prosthetic hand, clicking sounds can be heard when the grip is loosen or tighten. I believe half the class probably viewed that as a toy robot arm. “I’m going to make a promise to you today, that as long as you engage to this fully, when you walk out this room five hours later, you would have made the world a better place.” “This prosthetic hand may seem insignificant to most of us, but bear in mind, that in every twenty minutes somewhere around the world a landmine related accident takes away lives or cause serious injury. This means the meaning to life stolen from some individuals due to circumstances brought about during war period.”
He added, “Just by piecing 30 small parts of plastic and metal, we can reshape somebody’s outlook in life and present them with hope. Something that we whom have the privilege of living in untainted lands can do for these people to resume their daily routine. Magic for these people.” At this point, I was confused as to what constructing prosthetic hands got to do with leadership skill. How the program was carried out Fixing the hands together was not as easy as what we thought it would be. We were presented with a challenge to restrict our non-dominant hand with the blue pocket placed within the package before embarking. Despite the obstacle of being a temporary amputee, the dynamics within my team was improved after Sam added on to Tim’s plan.
Sam started labelling the parts according to the instructional sheet while Tim and I studied how to piece the parts together. Sam took charge of locating the parts needed and ensured we were on the right track, while Tim and I had interchangeable roles of stabilizing and fitting the parts. Constructive feedback and listening to the opinion of others made producing the final outcome manageable.
I believe deep within our minds, the knowledge of how impactful this product will be to the recipient is what kept us going. Upon completion, we decorated the container and had our photos taken as a team. During the activity debrief, walls were broken and emotions started pouring. The heartache we felt for these victims were expressed, for them still keeping themselves alive despite being physically restrained and for some facing psychological trauma everyday… It was just too much to bear for me as a pampered child. Leadership skills that we practice were highlighted, and insightful management techniques and tips to avoiding pitfalls was shared. Methods to facilitate a group and handling the emotional feedback from participants were taught. Learning from experience made concepts more digestible. We will make a revolutionary change, shifting the culture of an authoritarian hierarchy to a vertical organizational structure where barriers are flattened and opinions can be shared and listened by all. Overall, this program encouraged me to stay strong in the face of adversities, and never give up. I never expected myself to be involved in community work and that doing so improves my communication skills as a leader. This adds to our portfolio of attaining an accredited facilitator skills endorsed by SkillsFuture. The memento I received will act as a reminder as to what I had learned in the process of crafting the prosthetic hand. I am now confident that I can do it.
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