Midwives For Haiti
NEWS RELEASE
Dreams coming true for Haitian women and visionaries
(Richmond, Va. June 8, 2011) – A new documentary chronicles the work of the Richmond-based nonprofit Midwives For Haiti toward safe child-bearing in rural Haiti. Midwives For Haiti: Birth of a Dream will make a formal debut at the Firehouse Theatre, 1609 W. Broad Street, Monday, June 20. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The 20-minute documentary will air at 7:30 p.m., and a panel discussion will follow. Suggested donation is $10.
Produced by Richmond filmmaker Nathan McCann, Midwives For Haiti: Birth of a Dream describes the educational program of Midwives For Haiti, which was founded in 2004 by local certified nurse-midwife Nadene Brunk. McCann interviews Brunk, the students, graduates and patients of the program. Footage features Hinche, the home-base of the operation, located 60 miles northeast of Port-au-Prince. Haitian women in song provide backdrop to the narrative.
“Nathan’s work takes the viewer as close as possible to what we’re doing without travelling to Haiti,” said Brunk. “He has expertly captured the importance, grittiness and beauty of our work and its results.”
Midwives For Haiti has been training skilled birth attendants in Haiti since 2006 to address the worst infant and maternal mortality rates in the western hemisphere. The nonprofit organization has coordinated volunteer midwives, obstetricians and other women’s care providers from across the world to travel to Haiti to assist in the instruction of, so far, three classes of graduates – about 30 women total.
Documentary highlights include:
- The telling of the Midwives For Haiti story
- Footage of Haitian students in the classroom and at the local hospital with volunteer preceptors and instructors
- Scenes from mobile prenatal clinics that demonstrate the impact that Midwives For Haiti-trained women are having in their communities
Co-sponsoring the debut is BirthMatters-Virginia, a state nonprofit organization with local groups of parents and professionals who share information, offer support and affirm the rights of women and families to make informed choices throughout the childbearing years.
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Other News
Midwives For Haiti: Birth of a Dream documentary will premiere on local television on Thursday, July 21 at 9pm. The film will air on WCVE Richmond and WHTJ Charlottesville.
Other Midwives For Haiti initiatives include an on-the-go pink Jeep Wrangler that serves as a mobile clinic in rural parts of the country. Learn more at http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/110505_news_pinkjeep.aspx
In the works is a free-standing village birth center in Trianon that will be staffed by a Midwives For Haiti graduate. Completion is slated for later this year.
Midwives For Haiti and the Cultural Arts Center of Glen Allen will join forces for the second year to exhibit The Colors of Haiti, July 14-September 11. An opening night reception will be held Thursday, July 14. Featuring a variety of works by Haitian artists, The Colors of Haiti is a tribute to the country and her people, their resilience and vibrancy, unshaken even a year and a half after a devastating earthquake.
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Contact Information
For Midwives For Haiti or Nadene Brunk: Contact Sarah Burd, sburd@midwivesforhaiti.org, or 804-662-6060 x4105.
Find Midwives For Haiti at http://www.MidwivesForHaiti.org,http://www.facebook.com/MidwivesForHaiti or http://www.Twitter.com @Midwives4Haiti.
Learn more about Nadene Brunk, at http://virginiawomenscenter.com/staff-Nadene-S-Brunk-MSN-CNM.html
Watch a trailer of Midwives For Haiti: Birth of a Dream at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9ylyY9F-5g. Contact Nathan McCann nwm001@hotmail.com.
Firehouse Theatre Project: http://www.Firehousetheatre.org. Free parking for patrons is available in the Lowe’s parking lot, across the street from the theatre, near the corner of Lombardy and Broad Street.
BirthMatters-Virginia and the Richmond chapter: http://birthmattersva.org/richmond
