(FR/EN) In this enlightening exchange, students Kornelio and Ignatius delve into the pressing issue of reduced inequalities, a crucial aspect of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 10). Kornelio, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, shares his perspective on the challenges faced by youth in conflict-ridden environments, while Ignatius, from India, provides insight into the ongoing struggle against social and economic disparities within his diverse country. Through their correspondence, they explore how health systems and societal inequalities impact their lives and communities, revealing a shared commitment to addressing these global issues.
Letter 1
Date: 19 April, 2024
Cher Ignatius,
Comment tu vas mon ami ?
Je tiens tout d’abord à m’excuser pour ce retard avec lequel j’expédie ma lettre et que je n’ai pas pu aussi traduire.
je suis tout de même très content de pouvoir échanger avec toi comme partenaire dans cette belle aventure de Global Pen Friends que nous offre l’Université d’Anvers pour entrer en contact avec les jeunes du monde.
Pour ce qui me concerne, je suis à ma troisième participation au projet et pour mes deux dernières participations, j’ai fait connaissance des amies d’Amérique Latine et avec lesquelles nous avons échanger de longues lettres et à travers lesquelles nous avons fait un partage d’expérience et à l’issu duquel nous avons fini par conclure d’abord que tous les jeunes du monde sont confrontés aux mêmes défis et ensuite que nos aînés
comptent énormément sur nous pour corriger leurs erreurs, et nos cadets encore plus pour que nous leur servions d’exemple.
Je te souhaite d’ores et déjà la bienvenue dans cette riche aventure et surtout, je te préviens que tu ne t’ennuieras pas !
Le sujet de la santé me tient beaucoup à cœur comme thématique. Pour moi, la santé est l’élément autour duquel gravitent les autres Objectifs de Développement Durable. Lorsqu’on est en bonne santé, on peut bien apprendre et pour avoir une bonne santé, il faut l’accès à des éléments importants comme l’eau potable et une bonne alimentation.
Malheureusement, plusieurs jeunes de notre âge n’ont pas la chance que toi et moi avons aujourd’hui. Ils n’ont pas accès à de bonnes conditions sanitaires qui pourraient leur permettre d’exprimer complétement l’envergure de leur potentialité pour rendre le monde meilleur et plus vivable.
La triste réalité est que la guerre est plus financée que l’accès aux ressources de première nécessité et pire, les jeunes sont souvent en première ligne de front comme chaire à canon.
Aujourd’hui les jeunes et les enfants représentent la grande partie de la population mondiale, mais aussi la tranche la plus vulnérable.
A mon niveau en tant que leader des jeunes dans ma ville natale de Bukavu, je mène des plaidoyers auprès des organisations locales, gouvernementales et internationales pour que les conditions des jeunes soient tant soit peu améliorer.
J’espère en toute sincérité que les générations qui viendront après nous auront la chance que nous n’avons pas eue : naitre et vivre dans un monde plus paisible et avec accès illimité aux ressources fondamentales, surtout la santé.
A ce sujet, je voudrai savoir, comment s’organise le système sanitaire dans ton pays ? Des compatriotes congolais choisissent d’aller se faire soigner en Inde, je voudrai que tu me partages un peu de l’expérience de chez toi ? Comment les médecins sont-ils formés et quelles politiques ont été mises en place pour renforcer le système sanitaire.
Espérant te lire très bientôt, je te souhaite toutes les bonnes choses mon ami.
Kornelio
Letter 2
Date: 23 April, 2024
Hello Kornelio!!
A very warm greeting from my side, and happily, I want to tell you that I have well received your beautifully sent letter and I got to know that this is your third participation which made me highly impressed that you are already been a part of this Global Pen Friends consecutively for three years. And you are going to be my first foreigner friend and I am so much happy about that. As I had read your given letter very thoroughly and I am very much excited to share my thoughts along with some facts and also try to give the answers which were asked by you in your given letter.
First and foremost, let me introduce myself, I am Ignatius Marandi, completing my college degree from St. Xavier’s College, city-Ranchi, state-Jharkhand, country-India. I preferably inclined more towards an art work than any sport activities. I write originals and currently completing my study so that I can secure myself for a job for my better future.
Before I answer your given questions, I would like to make you aware of my country India, which is comprises of population of about 1.4 billion people and according to the United Nation Organization we come under the developing nation, which tells us that we are still progressing in each and every field to become a developed nation in coming days. Though, the health care system of India is also well recognized, according to the WHO recommends a doctor to population ration should be of 1:1000 but, we have already achieved a ratio of 1:900 which is an improvement over guidelines. We have government medical colleges which gives training to students provided at very low cost and we have good hospitals in every city. We have the experienced doctors, nurses and staffs who are continuously working, even door to door services is being provided by the government, WHO and NGOs.
Even my mother was a nurse she dedicated her life to serve people and as I had grown close to the environment of the medical health care systems and that is why I know the fact that health care system of my country is the least place where you will find chances of failure than among all other rest of systems which are operating in India and I have to also mention that the India is somehow, somewhere it is politically corrupted in its system but when it comes to the common people of India, the medical staffs work extremely hard to serve the people. As you mention about the Congolese compatriots choose seek treatments in India, for this, I want you to know that our country treats for the same treatment with same advanced technology with very effective and at very low cost than the rest of other countries, which eventually attracting the attention to the Congolese and some other countries who seeks better and at low-cost treatment.
We have government health care facilities provided even to the rural areas which run very efficiently and also there is private health care organizations which serve at its finest, but the only difference between these two is that government health care facilities is way cheaper and even sometimes provided with free services and on the opposite the private one is way costlier and only wealthy can afford their services. We have our very own pharmaceutical companies which is very effective and accessible to the citizens. Still in India there is lack of awareness, poor sanitary, lack of money in majority of population and many more downfalls, despite all these issues, the Health care system does not fail to provide good services with very efficiently.
Despite lot of misbalance in our country, that during the COVID19, the vaccines were made available at free of cost to the citizens of India and also supplied to many south African countries in a very crucial time. We Indian enjoys the benefit of health care facilities provided under the government of India and so many people can take advantages of government schemes and this facilities made us to no need to spend heavy amount of money to the private hospitals, which government is already made available somethings free and efficient.
And I hope, this will provide you with a rough idea of the health care system in India and if there is any specific thing you want to know you can ask me and I will be glad to give you the answers.
As I move further, let you remind you that our SDGs no. is 10 so let me talk about on that topic, the Inequality in a country and among within. Our country is incredibly diverse in culture, language, food, custom, religion and many more.
In total population of India, few are extremely rich, most of them belong from the middle class and some belongs to the below of poverty line. Which makes the status differences among within society and it has still been practiced that rich are blessed by the God and poverty is punishment from the God. The feeling of urge to feel superior from another as in terms of language basis and caste wise is still practice in some places in my country. There is also an inequality in family within , parents love boy child more than a girl child and it is harsh reality of our society. The inequality in working space, discrimination in the equal pay for the same job, within genders, within different culture, within same classroom too, and the practice of CASTE SYSTEM in our society is the prime example of inequality in a country and within among. Though, the government take strict action against those who practice like UNTOUCHABILITY , but at ground level some people still are not had able to get ride off from their urge to look superior than others.
Though, there are few left behind with their ideology who eventually spread inequality in society. We as majority of common people are trying our best to promote equality in every places and we quite becoming successful in this.
And I would like to ask you how and what are the inequalities are being practiced in your society?
And what are the steps government is taking against those who practice inequality? And if possible, share your story if you ever had encountered inequality.
At last, I would like to thank you with the gratitude for being a partner in this project. And I would like to read your opinions and thoughts which I have asked you. Hoping you are all good, and take care of yourself as I am sending my best wishes to my new friend.
Kind regards!
Ignatius
Letter 3
Date: 5June, 2024
Dear Ignatio,
It’s still a real pleasure for me to write to you today. I’m well over the deadline set by our programme, but I really wanted to do it. In fact, I’m in my final year of medical school and, as a trainee doctor, I’m literally running out of time for myself.
I’m very happy to read you, and to get to know you and your country better. I’m very happy to know that you’re interested in works of art; it’s a great interest for a country as cultural as India.
With colonisation, my country lost most of its cultural and artistic heritage, but there are still important elements that we are trying to preserve. I’m very fascinated by the way your health system works, and I’m also pleased to learn that health coverage is no longer a problem in your country. My country is still in the process of doing everything it can to ensure that this is the case
here too. As soon as I finish medical school at the end of this academic year, I intend to make my modest contribution to improving the health conditions of my compatriots. In fact, apart from the medical school and the hospital, I’m also a young man who is very involved in the community, and I’m even the first deputy councillor in the commune.
Social injustice is an inherent fact of our societies. Indian civilisation is studied a lot here at home, both in geography and history classes, and one of the faults that this beautiful civilisation is criticised for is precisely its subdivision into castes. I believe that all human beings are equal, and as Christians, we must see in each other the face of Christ. The good thing I’ve noticed, however, is that this subdivision doesn’t prevent the brave Indians from standing out in so many areas of global life, from medicine to new technology, commerce and the economy: Bravo.
As far as my country is concerned, a great deal of effort is being made to get all the tribes, which can each constitute a state, to work together as a single people for the emergence of the great nation that is the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our society is made up of injustice, and it’s almost impossible to escape it.
The greatest injustice I experience at the moment is war.
My country, and there is more and more talk about it these days, has been subject to a war imposed on it for 30 years now because of the riches of its subsoil and soil. While my country produces gold, diamonds, coltan, cobalt, lithium and copper, its population is the poorest on the planet.
More concretely, for every smartphone, every electric car, every gadget, there is at least one little boy or girl who is deprived of a parent.
Many children are no longer studying, living in precarious conditions, lacking almost everything and exposed to a number of diseases linked to the lack of clean water, while others are even child soldiers.
Global Pen Friend is a discussion programme on the Sustainable Development Goals. Talking about them is already a step forward.
But what we need now are concrete actions that will bring us even closer to the SDGs, which aim to make the world a more liveable and friendly place.
I’m sorry it’s taken me so long today, but I’m delighted to be chatting to you.
I wish you all the best, and take care of yourself.
Kornelio.
Letter 4
Date: 8 June, 2024
Dear Kornelio
Once again a very warm greeting from my side. I had read your previous letter and get to know that being with a busy schedule you managed to written your letter and I got to know that your country is not supposed to be in this condition despite you people are together against all the hardships going on your country.
As this is going to he the last letter exchange between us. I would try to give all my best possible to let you make you aware about my condition in my country India and try to conclude this letter.
As you mentioned the caste system of the India is the only negative this you have saw in us. But actually it is more than caste system. The caste system is just the tip of an iceberg. There is many like, religion basis discrimination, region wise discrimination, language basis, skin colour basis, gender basis, status basis, and many more.
The only problem I see is the pride the people love to see themselves as a superior than others. We know pride is mother of all evil.
This type of person do exists in this country but they are hiding under the desk. Which I meant is that this type of people is sitting on a very powerful position and they are mainly politicians, businessmen, so called high caste.
And the only solution to this problem is to educate people , each and every people. I think when India will achieve its 100% literacy rate then automatically half of the problem will be vanished completely. And government clearly knows about this and that’s why the government schools of India is extremely poor quality. I am very thankful for the missionaries schools which they made accessible of the education to people which help bring the nation towards the path of equality. We as a Indian are very thankful to Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar wo wrote constitution who was a Dalit which is seen as a lower caste and he fought against all odds and he just not only brought change for the Dalit’s but also to other lower caste people and to women and almost every underprivileged category of people.
No doubt, my country Is called as incredible India but it is only limited to the culture, language and food and in nature but as a whole it still needs to be look upon to bring change. And we are all ready for this change. We have just done our election for the position of Prime Minister, this ruling government claimed to have to get 400+ seats in this election but he failed to do so, unfortunately he won this election as he got 293 seats out of 550 seats. People of are opening their eyes and could see the dictatorship of the government of brought fighting against between religion, caste and privatisation of all the government asset to the businessmen.
We are education ourselves and we want better future so that despite of any caste, religion or being a foreigner to India, people would freely move any places without any fear for their lives.
Hope one day we became development nation one day and we will stand a chance next to the powerful country on the international level. May Jesus bless us, Amen.
Ignatius