Quote Originally Posted by Surferbeetle View Post
Interesting thread Madhu and i like your stone soup approach

This link might be of interest. I am told (and believe) that it is a worthwhile experience and it seems that there are many commanalities when comparing the experience (and outcomes) to that of some of our 'non-lethal' efforts.

Stop Transmission of Polio (STOP) Program
That link is of interest. I had to look up what "stone soup" was, though

@ ganulv: Honestly, a lot of the current papers I am reading seem to use the same language of modernization theory, but maybe I am seeing what I want to see?

Stuff like this:

Afghanistan has the highest perinatal mortality rate in the entire world. One Afghani woman dies every 30 minutes from perinatal- related event. One of eight Afghani women will die from perinatal events. Maternal mortality is (use percentage, not fractions) 1600/100,000 vs 13 /100,000 in the United States. Afghanistan is one of the only countries in the world in which the average woman?s life expectancy is shorter than a males- despite the active, nationwide combat fought primarily by Afghani males. Meaning, women in Afghanistan are not routinely involved in combat, yet are more likely to die than a man of the same age. This article presents an alternative model Medical Seminar (MEDSEM) for a successful Special Forces (SF) medical counterinsurgency (COIN) plan that can obtain real results by addressing the mission of the Afghan Ministry of Health versus clinging to old notions. This model forms around the medical capabilities of the SF Operational Detachment (ODA)- Alpha (A) and preventinmaternal-infant complications.

http://www.researchgate.net/publicat...or_Afghanistan


Medical programs are valuable tools when they properly align with operational objectives. In counterinsurgency operations, the medical program should promote the capacity of the host nation government and lead to greater self-sufficiency. The Medical Civic Action Program (MEDCAP) often fails to fully integrate host nation providers and officials which may undermine local medical infrastructure and rarely provides sustainable improvement. The Medical Seminar (MEDSEM) was developed during Operation Enduring Freedom- Philippines to address the shortcomings of the traditional MEDCAP. The MEDSEM greatly enhanced the MEDCAP by adding education to the venue, thereby promoting self reliance and improving the sustainability of medical interventions. Furthermore, the MEDSEM forged relationships and promoted interoperability through collaboration between local medical providers, governmental leaders, host nation forces, and U.S. Special Operations Forces.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20306411

Which is quite laudable, I just don't know how it fits in with our military goals in Afghanistan. (The Philippines program seems to make more sense to me, but I don't really know about that part of the world so maybe not).

But I think at this point I am so turned around on all of this stuff that I will keep focusing on the e-learning stuff. I had not heard about Partners in Health, thanks for that link!