Beyond Midwifery

Hobbies and interests

Living in a remote part of the world means that the people around me have many needs, and I am often busy assisting them with their requests. When I have a moment of peace, one of my favorite past times is reading, as well as playing several musical instruments. I also enjoy being outdoors and gardening and almost always have something growing in my kitchen. I knit, crochet, and sew, using these hobbies to teach other people to make items to sell. I often create my own sewing patterns to use as teaching tools. Here is a link to a cloth pelvis pattern and a non pregnant uterus pattern which I made for teaching childbirth education and fertility awareness. I like cooking for groups of people and love a good cup of coffee in the morning.

Other Work

When I am not studying midwifery, I am often engaged in writing other types of materials. I have written a literacy curriculum in the Gabra language and was part of a team to develop childbirth education materials for community health volunteers. I am frequently writing letters and developing Bible study materials.

In Kenya, I have also brought Farming God's Way methods to the women of my community. The community has successfully grown maize and beans as well as moringa trees. Using the methods of conservation agriculture, we have made the desert bloom.

In our village, many women are cast out of the community due to cultural beliefs. I run a training program in Kenya for these outcast women and their children and spend hours teaching, counseling, and organizing them and their needs. You can take a look at the program for outcast at Village of Hope. Village of Hope gives women and their children a safe place to live, learn, and grow.