Today was another great day in Oslo, Norway! We started our day in the conference room at our hotel, Cochs Pensjonat. Last night, each of us found an article about human trafficking, so this morning, we had an interesting discussion about our articles and the populations that were affected in them. Since I am half Chinese, I found an article about trafficking of women in China, and I learned that one of the main reasons for trafficking of women in China is the imbalanced gender ratio, due to China’s preference for boys. This preference for boys has resulted in some families resorting to certain methods to have boys, including gender-selective abortions, infantilizing baby girls, and even outright abandonment or selling baby girls (Xia, Zhou, Du, & Cai, 2020). Coincidentally, another man was sitting in the conference room with us, and at the end of our discussion, he told us that he is an American (born and raised in North Carolina) currently living and studying social work in Finland. He shared that he has extensive experience in human trafficking organizations and campaigns, so we chatted with him for a while and got to hear his unique perspective.
After our discussion in the hotel conference room, we went to see Nurses on Wheels. Nurses on Wheels is an incredible example of Sustainable Development Goal 3: ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages (Sigma Global Nursing Excellence, 2022). Many of their patients are not able to use the regular healthcare system, so the goal of Nurses on Wheels is to make healthcare as easily accessible as possible for everyone. They accomplish this by doing health assessments, distributing clean user equipment, doing wound care, and performing tests for hepatitis C (Nurses on Wheels, 2022). All of us were so impressed learning about this organization and how successful they have been in their goal, as well as how successful they have been in Sustainable Development Goal 3.
Learning about Nurses on Wheels
Learning about Nurses on Wheels and seeing some of the clean user equipment that they distribute
Today was our first day at LDUC campus! We had lunch in their cafe, and then we took a Wellness Walk to explore their beautiful campus more before settling into an afternoon of lectures. Our keynote lecture was given by Associate Professor Åsa Kneck from Sweden. She shared the definition, causes, and effects of homelessness. It was interesting to hear about homelessness in Sweden and the other Nordic countries, and it tied into Sustainable Development Goal 10: reduce inequality within and among countries (Sigma Global Nursing Excellence, 2022). During our other lectures today, we discussed how the Nordic countries really try to focus on reducing inequality within and among their countries, including homelessness, and from our perspective as American students, it seems like they have done an incredible job! They have so many programs with the goal of reducing inequality and homelessness, and I think that there is a lot that we could learn from these countries to hopefully implement in the United States.
Having a wonderful time on our Wellness Walk after lunch
Keynote lecture by Associate Professor Åsa Kneck from Sweden
After our lectures, we met with our project groups. There are 6 students, including me, from OSU, so we were divided into different groups with the Norwegian students. Priya and I are in the same group, and we love the 3 Norwegian students in our group! They were so warm and friendly, and we had a great discussion and chose the topic of Drug Use for our group project. We came up with some ideas for our project, and then, all of the international students had a pizza social in the LDUC cafe. We had a wonderful time talking with the other students from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Belgium. Then, it was time for bed, so we would be well-rested and ready for our next day in Norway.
Meeting with our project groups on the roof at LDUC
The view from the roof at LDUC
References:
Nurses on Wheels. (2022). Spleis. https://www.spleis.no/project/218486
Sigma Global Nursing Excellence. (2022). United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. https://www.sigmanursing.org/connect-engage/our-global-impact/sigma-and-the-united-nations/sustainable-development-goals
Xia, Y., Zhou, Y., Du, L., & Cai, T. (2020). Mapping trafficking of women in China: Evidence from court sentences. Journal of Contemporary China, 29(122), 238-252.