We are long time supporters of the Nursing Midwifery Development Center (NMDC) in Erbil,
Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
The NMDC building is completed and the ribbon cutting ceremony was 21 January 2024.
NMDC offers professional training with completion certificates in midwifery, NICU nursing, oncology, and EMS training. Other specialties will be introduced as time goes by.
For more information:
Nursing & Midwifery Development Centre
January 2024
Our work in Kurdistan, Iraq Continues
At present we continue working in Kurdistan, the semi-autonomous region of northern Iraq. We are supporting the Nurse and Nurse Midwifery Development Center (NNMDC) and LDS Charities there. We are engaged in meeting the goals of training nurses and midwives and supporting nursing in developing registration and scope of practice. This will greatly improve the delivery of healthcare.
LDS Charities and the Sterling Foundation have funded the Nurse Midwifery and Nurse Development center. We are supporting that effort with volunteers with expertise in healthcare delivery, and with contributions. We are excited about the culmination of the efforts of many talented individuals to see this building come to fruition. We are working with refugee camps in the Kurdistan region, to provide English instruction and classes on best health and nutrition practices, hygiene, and family planning.
We have now added Uganda to the regions we are supporting. In the future, we will add other regions and look for suggestions of other regions we can support.
Below are pictures from the 1st International Nursing and Midwifery Conference.
Uganda
A group from Melby Charity, Colette, Jared, Lindsey, Ariana, Christian, Abby, and Jake Melby, in addition to a group from Brigham Young University, traveled to rural Uganda and conducted eye clinics in November, 2023. They had teaching stations, exam stations, and finally the fitting stations. There is a lot of screening necessary to figure out what each person needs. It is amazing how quickly they were able to work through the stations with so many people needing help. There was definitely some divine help.
They were able to help 550+ people each day with vision improvements. A favorite station was fitting the glasses. When some of the sweet older patrons got to the station and picked out a pair of readers in their prescription and put them on for the first time— their faces shone with joy. They took the glasses on and off again and again, then huge smiles when you ask if they are good. The little kids pose and walk around in a proud, excited way. It is happiness itself to help them.
Colette reported, “Yesterday after we cleaned up for the day and the adults had left, all of the children came to play. It was so much fun. They are like sponges—they will do whatever we are doing. We played little group games like hoky poky and ring around the roses. Christian and Jake pulled out a soccer ball and they chased that ball around for hours. Some of the little boys gathered around Christian and asked him all about his life in the USA. Mostly they wanted to know about Superman!”
Above: Meeting with community members regarding building site for the new nursing development centre
Below: Kurdish children learning English
Bottom: The beautiful city of Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq
Team BYU/ Melby Charity!
