Chapter 2 - Transcript

voice-over

i know how hard the language barrier – the cultural barrier – its very difficult for people to get access to health care – its something i like to do because  i know i'm helping people who really need our service

tiguida: i will be there

patient: i have been her only three months and i’ve become ill 0 i came to get medication but i don’t have green card

tiguida: at a check cashing, go with your passport and an address where you live, a bill with your name or a lease of your apt. they will make an id with your address, you can show that ID everywhere when they ask you for identification. then they can see you here, they have good doctors and can give you medication. if you need x-ray or other tests they will send you to other clinics, they are very good

tiguida: let’s go there – they need me over there

patient2: (speaking mandingo)

tiguida (translating): she said they told her if she didn’t bring a translator – someone who speak mandingo they are not going to help her. she was here since 11 o’clock everyone who came before her they take care of them except her.

nurse: its not right

tiguida (translating): she said she was pregnant she was sick – she didn't have green card or social security card, they cannot do anything for her

patient3: (speaking mandingo)

nurse: thats not true

tiguida (translating): she said because i'm here they can call someone to translate but they cannot treat her like that.

nurse: did you get it today

patient2: (speaking mandingo)

tiguida: she didn’t get it - maybe you can go and find out

patient3: (speaking mandingo)

tiguida (translating): she said to the ‘wic’ – they make you back and forth – they give them so much hard time they don’t even want to come back

voice-over

since ive started working 3 years ago at the dept of health as an outreach coordinator for african and haitian community i've seen a lot of improvement and i'm proud of that – the wic program is run by the state not the department of health – that's where most of the complaints come from

nurse: she needs to be seen today

tiguida: good, thank you

voice-over (fr)

since i closed my restaurant i feel a great emptiness around me – it was a meeting place for a lot of africans especially the new arrivals – it truly felt like we were in africa

tiguida (fr): i used to have customers who just arrived to the united states, and hadn’t started working yet. it didn’t cost me anything to tell my employees to give them food to eat – and when those who lost their jobs came to eat – i offered them food until they started working again. when we served them and they were not full – we offered them more food until they were full

tiguida (fr): for me, its like being in a family and that i am everyone’s mother - when someone else’s children are hungry i must to feed them because i was born in a family where my father had more than 30 people living in his house – none of whom were his children. so for me it’s no diff to help those who just arrived and lost their money.

tiguida (fr): i don’t regret it because even if they don’t do anything for me, when they see me they say ‘truly big sister – you have been there for us’  if i go to their businesses they don’t allow me to pay. like the calabasse restaurant – mariam – i can never forget her – when i first arrived in new york – she showed me the way. i wanted to go look for clothes, but she wouldn’t let me – she would get them for me. when i wanted to pay for them – she wouldn’t let me. when i wanted to eat she would serve me. i can never forget mariam – she may have forgotten it but i never will. i know she considers me like her aunt – she didn't have to do all that for me

tiguida (fr): i am really grateful to the africans in philadelphia – especially the work i’m doing now organizing health fairs and workshops – the help they give me and doing their best to attend the activities – that means a lot to me. that is a big step because at least i know i have people who care about me