Thursday October 3, 2013 Bethlehem Neo Natal Training

We did the Neo Natal training in Bethlehem on October 3-4. There were 40 participants plus the instructors.  Many were doctors.  This training is very basic for those who don't have access to a good medical facility with modern equipment and have to deal with babies who are not breathing after they are born.  Without breathing, after 5 minutes the heart slows, after 8 minutes the brain starts to die, after 12 minutes there is severe brain damage, and after 15 minutes the baby dies.

LDS Charities has been doing this program for about 12 years in countries that have high rates of birth problems. They will train in 34 countries in 2013. The average team teaches 2 courses of 40 people. These 80 people are asked to train others until everyone in the country is trained.

This team will leave 800 bags and masks and 35 training kits. Two thousand people deliver babies in Palestine, so if 80 are trained every month, they will all be trained in about 2 years.

We had Arab Culture Night at the Jerusalem Center on October 3. The Arab instructor brought two people who recited the call to prayer.  He took questions, followed by a Arab dinner in the Oasis and Arab dancing.  We learned that the Sunni Muslims believe Jesus is their Messiah (anointed one) - the Shia's do not believe Jesus is their Messiah. The Sunnis don't believe Jesus is a God or the son of God because they believe there is only one God.

 

Tawfic and Dr. Barry Anderton at the welcome and opening of the training in Bethlehem.

We held the training at Bethlehem University. It is a clean, modern campus. The students were dressed more western style with less Muslim attire.

 Bethlehem University campus during lunch break.

 We returned to the Jerusalem Center to Arab Culture Night. The Arab instructor arranged for two people to give the Muslim call to prayer.  Muslims pray 5 times each day and are reminded by either a recording or a person chanting a call to prayer each of those 5 times. I hear the call each morning at about 4:45 am. We ate an Arab dinner in the Oasis, prepared over the previous 2 days by the kitchen chef and his staff, pictured above.

We were invited to dress Arab style for the event.

Blaine needed a little touching up, so Alexis and Linda took care of it.

So now my headdress looks more "Yasser style". 

We learned Arabic dance steps in the gym, taught by some young Palestinians.