Purple Hands

A Kiwi Nurse-Midwife’s Response in Times of Crisis

De: Barbara Walker

Narrado por: Elisabeth Easther

What is life like for aid workers who gather from around the world to serve refugees who have fled their homes due to famine, political unrest, and disasters?

Kiwi nurse-midwife, Barbara Walker - who spent 20 years working for international aid agencies - shares her dramatic, heart-rending, and inspiring stories of the situations she faced and the people she sought to help.

From the Sakeo One Refugee Camp in Thailand, where she cared for those fleeing Pol Pot’s regime in Cambodia in a make-shift bamboo-framed field hospital, to her last placement in Mozambique that ended due to a death threat, Barbara’s Christian faith gave her strength and kept her focused. We also learn of Barbara’s early life in New Zealand, and her later call to ordained ministry as a chaplain when she returned after serving overseas. Barbara hopes that her story will inspire and encourage all who listen to it to think outside the square and seek to make a difference in the world in which we all live.

Post COVID-19, we all have a chance to move forward, working together to address the inequalities which she has seen around the world and here in her country of Aotearoa, New Zealand. We cannot make changes alone, but by listening, sharing, building trust, and working in partnership, we can make a difference for all. It’s up to us all.

©2020 Barbara Walker (P)2021 Barbara Walker

Reseñas de la Crítica

“You are in for a riveting read. Expect to laugh a lot and maybe cry a bit. Barbara, one of my former highly valued colleagues in Pakistan, is one of God’s more intrepid and dedicated servants.” (Ruth Coggan MB, ChB, FRCOG, OBE, SQA)

“Every now and then God sends into the world a special person, a high achiever with a great passion for demonstrating Christian work. Barbara is that person.” (Rosemary Holt, fellow aid worker)

Impacting

As a Kiwi of a similar age with an interest in emerging economies and the care of people of a different culture, I was spellbound by Barbara's story. It gave me a really good insight into the impact of pandemics and very real poverty but also resilience.
It was very well read by Elisabeth Easther..

Not much substance

There are very minimal stories and details about the actual work that this author did as a missionary especially as a midwife there are hardly any stories about midwifery and birth stories and newborn care she mentions that a few times but there really isn't a lot of detail. Most of the detail is her talking about paperwork and traveling and getting experience spite not really specific. It almost feels like it was written with an elementary grade level and more of an outline style than an actual story.