Fulbright South Africa

Stunning flower — following a light Fall rain.

Sun, 19 May 2013 18:08:10 +0300

Stunning flower — following a light Fall rain.

Is this not a beautiful flower! Blooming hydrangea in Fall,...

Sun, 19 May 2013 16:44:50 +0300

Is this not a beautiful flower! Blooming hydrangea in Fall, South Africa.

(top to bottom) 1. Reda’s mom - a beautiful and talented...

Sun, 19 May 2013 16:31:00 +0300

(top to bottom)

1. Reda’s mom - a beautiful and talented Afrikaan school teacher and artist!

2. One of her beautiful crocheted works — adorned with glass beads.

3. A crocheted glass cover.

4. Nurse researcher and clinician Reda Jacobs with her daughter, Le-Marie.

5. Marie with Reda’s mother.

5/19/2013 Beautiful Handiwork by a Beautiful Afrikaan Lady

Sun, 19 May 2013 16:12:00 +0300

The UJ doctoral nursing student who took me to Limpopo province, soon-to-be Dr. Reda Jacobs, was kind enough to have me in her home in Polokwane. Her mom and dad live with them and her mother - a school teacher of many years, was an absolute delight! She is not only beautiful - but also very talented. She crochets the most beautiful works and uses glass beads to adorn the beautiful stitchery. I was amazed that she could do such fine work at near 80 years of age! She truly creates art! See photos above

From top to bottom: 1 & 2. Maria, the traditional healer,...

Sun, 19 May 2013 16:04:24 +0300

From top to bottom:

1 & 2. Maria, the traditional healer, with Fulbrighter Marie Hastings-Tolsma

3. Goat skin used as part of healing.

4. Burner used to burn herbs in her office. She has the person being healed sit next to the burner, places a blanket over them and has them breathe in the smoke.

5. Cattle horns taken from a sacrificed cow. Maria uses the horns to speak with her ancestors during healing sessions. Her ancestors guide her in healing.

6. Goat skins hanging behind her house — drying for later use in healing.

7. Maria’s office used for healing. The building is behind the main home. Of note, she must do well as a healer as her home was by far the nicest in the community.

8. Maria’s mother who lives with her.

5/18/2013 Meeting with Maria - a Traditional Healer

Sun, 19 May 2013 15:32:08 +0300

While in Limpopo, I had the opportunity to meet with a Traditional Healer, Maria, and discuss her work. She has a master’s degree in education but is not longer teaching. She had the calling from her ancestor’s about 10 years ago. She now heals those who need her healing services. People come to see her for aches, pains, general worries, and for some, because they feel they have had a curse placed on them by a witch doctor.

She told me that once or twice a year she has a healing ceremony where many, many people come to participate. At the ceremony she sings, dances, and speaks with the ancestors. In addition, a cow or goat are sacrificed and the blood is smeared on the person she is healing with the meat given to the people. These two animals hold special significance for traditional healers. The animal skins are put on a rack behind her house to dry — then used later in sessions with individuals.

In individual healing sessions, she prays, dances, speaks to her ancestors through the horns of cattle, and burns herbs so that individuals can breathe in the smoke for healing purposes. She also mixes herbs for specific conditions - including pregnancy. For pregnant women, herb use typically begins in the last month or so — and are used again following birth.

(top) Marie outside shop in Haenertsburg, South Africa. (2nd...

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:44:00 +0300

(top) Marie outside shop in Haenertsburg, South Africa.

(2nd down) Le-Marie — my lovely tour guide and driver!

(3rd down) Cafe worker…lovely dress…

(4th down) Cafe owner (and a midwife too!) with her pet pot-belly pig!….Her “baby”!

(5th down) Penelope the Pig roams about — cleans up around cafe visitors. Was also told that the pig is house broken…geez! :-)

(bottom) (Marie) Haenertsburg, SA’s main street on a beautiful fall day.

5/17/2013 Eastern Limpopo Province

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:33:11 +0300

The daughter of one of UJ’s nursing doctoral students, Le-Marie, was kind enough to act as my tour guide and driver so that I was able to see some of the countryside. We went to one small village in the eastern portion of Limpopo — not too far from Kruger National Park. It is very hilly there — beautiful landscape with tons of pine trees. In fact, they have a mill there. We spent some time in one small village — Haenertsburg — very quaint, quiet, and peaceful with small shops and a few key shops (grocery, couple of restaurants, and a bar).

(top) Sweet little 2 y/o in Nobody, Limpopo. (bottom) Her 4...

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:26:51 +0300

(top) Sweet little 2 y/o in Nobody, Limpopo.

(bottom) Her 4 y/o sister stands in front of their home.

(top) cows being herded down a street in Nobody,...

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:20:08 +0300

(top) cows being herded down a street in Nobody, Limpopo.

(middle) This man spends his day herding the cows. He carried a big bull whip and had a dog and they drive the cows to different fields to graze.

(bottom) heading to an open field at the end of the street

5/16/2013 Trip to Limpopo Province

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:03:00 +0300

I was invited to travel to Limpopo province and it was just a wonderful experience. Limpopo is one of 9 South African provinces and you can see where it is on the map below (I am living in Gauteng province — pronounced “how-ting”). We visited one small town and experienced a bit of rural South African life. Above are pictures of housing in the town of Nobody — which has a population of a a few hundred.

(top) Panelists (left to right): Dr. Yolanda Havenga, Prof Marie...

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:28:27 +0300

(top) Panelists (left to right): Dr. Yolanda Havenga, Prof Marie Poggenpoel, Prof Chris Myburgh, and Prof Anna Nolte

(bottom) Panelists Prof Jeannette Maritz and Prof Elzabe Nel

(top) Dr. Yolanda Havenga (left) and Dr. Annie Temane...

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:25:00 +0300

(top) Dr. Yolanda Havenga (left) and Dr. Annie Temane (right)

(bottom) Post-Doctoral Forum participants….listening intently to the panel discussion,

5/10/2013 Annual Post-Doctoral Forum

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:54:00 +0300

Each year the UJ Department of Nursing hosts a post-doctoral forum where issues related to the development of nursing science are discussed. Nurse research scientists from across South Africa, as well as doctoral nursing students, were invited to attend. I had the privilege and honor of keynoting the forum, “Model Generation: The Appreciative Value in Nursing.” Notable nurse scientists (Profs Anna Nolte, Marie Poggenpoel, Chris Myburgh, Elzabe Nel, and Jeanette Maritz; as well as Drs. Annie Temane and Yolanda Havenga) presented a panel discussion after the keynote — raising many key questions. Approximately 50 attended from several universities and the discussions were great!

The forum was held in a beautiful venue …the Avianto Estates in Muldersdrift on the banks of the Crocodile River. Just a lovely setting with fantastic food.

Really wonderful day!

B Cur students presented research posters….budding nurse...

Sat, 11 May 2013 10:54:04 +0300

B Cur students presented research posters….budding nurse scientists!

5/9/2013 UJ's 20th Annual Research Day

Sat, 11 May 2013 10:44:00 +0300

Today was UJ’s Annual Research Day which was hosted by the Department of Nursing. It was held at the Bunting Road campus — a wonderful venue with a beautiful auditorium and terrific food. Approximately 100 students and faculty attended from UJ and other universities in South Africa, as well as the Dean of the faculty of Health Sciences, and faculty from select departments at UJ. I had the privilege of providing the keynote address: Sensibility and Science: Evidence Based Practice in Nursing. Best of all were the research presentations which followed by master’s and doctoral students. UJ’s research day is definitely worth attending! Well-done Dr. Downing (conference organizer)!

I learned today that out of 23 South African universities, UJ ranks 6th in research output!

2013 State of the World’s Mothers Report

Wed, 08 May 2013 03:42:40 +0300

2013 State of the World’s Mothers Report

5/8/2013 14th Annual State of the World's Mothers Report

Wed, 08 May 2013 03:38:00 +0300

was just released and it doesn’t look that great for many industrialized countries across the globe … UNLESS they have most care delivered by well-educated midwives. More intervention does not equate to better perinatal care. Where midwives provide the bulk of care to women who are low-risk (which is the majority of women) — and where those births respect the sanctity of the birth environment, the better the outcomes. Midwifery care should be the standard of care during pregnancy and birth — cost effective, higher patient satisfaction, and improved mother-baby outcomes. It is unfortunate that the press coverage fails to mention the midwifery model of of care and a low-intervention approach. Midwives….the world’s best kept secret.

Photo

Sun, 05 May 2013 20:17:21 +0300

5/5/2013 International Day of the Midwife

Sun, 05 May 2013 20:16:00 +0300

What a terrific day to celebrate midwives across the globe. Midwives make the world a better place….one baby at a time….