This copy of Libelle is a brilliant find for me as a retired midwife as I have found this amazing article on an inspirational midwife - vroedvrouw that works with Doctors without Borders - Artsen Zonder Grenzen. Midwife Ann Van Haver interviews on how she became a midwife and what led her to working abroad. She not only facilities birth but educates on midwifery, so trains midwives.
She makes me proud of midwifery and how we have transportable skills around the world, with this adapt to any given situation whether it be peacetime, war or in extreme poverty stricken areas. The drive to ensure care is given to women and the safe arrival of their babies.. To promote health and well being or restore well being in times of ill health.
"ik wil iets doen voor vrouwen die het echt nodig hebben"= I want to do something for women who really need it.
The article is helping me to vocabulary build and I am working on some powerpoint slides to help Boshra so will translate not only into English but Arabic too for her to understand. This works well when we are together with a google translator as Boshra and me worked together to translate a letter to parents from Celine's creche. We unlocked the wonderful support and information in that letter together and was a very connecting moment linking Dutch, English & Arabic.
For this article on Ann's work it is helping me as I can also see and feel what she is saying and describing from my own experience as a midwife. In a way translating professional led articles enhances the understanding of the target language.
This is powerful "Het verschil maken" = Make a difference so we see the word for difference is verschil. This is key to being a midwife or vroedvrouw the aim is to make a difference with support, knowledge and our skills to care for women & their newborn babies.
Ann narrates how it was a friend of her mothers that gave her the inspiration to become a midwife; that friend had been touched by the power of support of her midwife when giving birth. But it was meeting with a refugee - vluchtenling in Belgium that led to her reaching out to help in other countries where help was needed. So her work with Doctors without Borders - Artsen Zonder Grenzen began in 2007. She experienced first hand being in war stricken areas and areas in the aftermath of conflict.
I am picking out this descriptive piece for you to see that it is important for refugees - vluchtenling to have this set of vocabulary to help them express what they have been through and seen.
"De
stad was kapot er zaten overal kogelgaten de bruggen waren opgeblazen"
= The city was broken, there were bullet
holes everywhere and the bridges were blown up.
So we have the word kogelgaten - bullet holes and opgeblazen -blown up.
We have more useful words from the questions the interviewer asks about the reaction of her parents to her work with Artsen Zonder Grenzen.
"Wat
vonden je ouders van die keuze? Waren ze niet ongerust?"
What did your parents think of that
choice? Were they not worried?
So we have ouders - parents.
Keuze - choice
Ongerust - worried
What also impresses me about Ann is that she built on her knowledge to help more women by studying Tropical medicine for her work in African countries.Yes truly inspirational and I have only translated half the article but most of all it gives me pride in our profession as Midwives. She is a wonderful example of all we can do and our drive and motivation to help others, no matter the circumstances or in fact because of the circumstances mothers can be found in.
For you, Ann Van Haver from me a retired midwife
Inspirational and fills the world with the light of kindness.
