The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) conference is what brought us to Durban, South Africa. Tina is a midwife and had been to the previous one three years ago in Glasgow. This was my first one, and although I am not a midwife, I was still excited for an excuse to go to South Africa. The conference was truly an international event which brought together 3,000 midwives from over 100 different countries. The opening ceremony was reminiscent of the Olympics. Many were dressed in their native garb or carrying flags from their home country. We promptly went and bought an American flag and carried it proudly. The ICM site has great pictures of the whole event and points to the role of ICM "to advocate for the critical role of midwives in reducing maternal and newborn mortality, and to share best practices, experiences and knowledge."
Bridget Lynch, the ICM presidet, has done an outstanding job continuing to unite forces and concluded her term by passing the torch to Frances Day-Strik
Durban provided not only a great time of education, but also some time for relaxation and seeing the sites. South Africa is beautifully nestled between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Durban's Indian Ocean waters are relatively warm and oh so beautiful. We didn't do much more in the water than stick our toes in, but we enjoyed the view from our beach front hotel. This was truly a good time of rest that God provided between our two mission countries of Zambia and Malawi.
1 comment:
Great post! Love living vicariously through your adventures in Africa. God is so good to have provided for you and those you served! You truly are leaving a legacy. Blessings, Emily
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