A symposium titled “'Women and Children' in the Shadow of Poverty” was organized with the contributions of Uskudar University Faculty of Health Sciences Midwifery Department and the First Touch to Miracle Club, within the scope of May 5th International Midwives' Day. The opening speeches of the event, held at Uskudar University NP Health Campus Ibn-i Sina Auditorium, were delivered by Uskudar University Rector Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör, Faculty of Health Sciences Dean Prof. Dr. Aktuğ Ertekin, and Faculty of Health Sciences Midwifery Department Head Prof. Dr. Güler Cimete. Midwifery department academicians and students showed great interest in the hybrid symposium.
The symposium, organized with the contributions of Uskudar University Faculty of Health Sciences Midwifery Department and the First Touch to Miracle Club, was held both online and face-to-face. Students made presentations on the topic of “'Women and Children' in the Shadow of Poverty.”
Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör; “We think life is as shown in TV series”
Uskudar University Rector Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör spoke about the importance of the issue of poverty in her opening speech; “First of all, I congratulate you for hosting such a wonderful event. It is very rare for undergraduate students to organize such a comprehensive event; it is not easy or common. The topic caught my attention a lot, your addressing the issue of poverty. Generally, as a society or as professionals, we tend to think of life as it is depicted in TV series, believing that the life shown in series is the common and true reality. However, there are very different strata within society that need to be addressed and not ignored. Therefore, if you are to become midwives, you will need to reach out to all segments of society. Since the reality of your profession requires this, it is very important for you to reach out to various segments of society in such congresses and discuss all conditions in detail, because touching the wealthy is different from touching the poor, and providing service to the poor according to their living conditions is a different matter. Therefore, it is very important for you to look at that segment, discuss its characteristics, its details, its living conditions here, and thus gain new perspectives for your own profession.” she said.
Prof. Dr. Aktuğ Ertekin; “Midwifery has a special place for both women and children.”
Uskudar University Faculty of Health Sciences Dean Prof. Dr. Aktuğ Ertekin, in his opening speech, said; “Indeed, our university's midwifery department is one of our departments that puts a lot of effort into these issues and has very high sensitivity regarding women and children. Of course, midwifery has a very different place here, concerning both women and children. All value judgments in the process of children's first encounter with life are shaped during this time. Here, naturally, it is not possible to ignore the contributions of midwives, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.”
Prof. Dr. Güler Cimete; “Women, especially in poverty, constitute a disadvantaged group due to gender.”
Midwifery Department Head Prof. Dr. Güler Cimete began her speech by celebrating May 5th International Midwives' Day; “I congratulate all my students and all my midwife colleagues on International Midwives' Day in advance. Poverty is a very serious problem; while it affects all people, it particularly impacts women, pregnant individuals, and children very intensely. When we talk about poverty, we are actually referring to something very relative, very difficult to define, for which we cannot provide a standard definition. Poverty measures vary according to the circumstances of countries. Undoubtedly, poverty exists all over the world, but what we define as poverty differs according to the level of development of countries. There can be significant differences between poverty standards in developed countries and poverty in underdeveloped countries. Women, especially in poverty, constitute a disadvantaged group due to gender. Poverty, transmitted from family to child, can become like a person's destiny. We can and must be guiding, empowering individuals in creating policies that reduce the negative impact on the quality of life of the poor. Therefore, they will conclude our symposium by summarizing the duties incumbent upon us both within and at the end of this symposium.”
First Touch to Miracle Club President Fatma Nur Aydın, in her speech, stated; “This year, we are proud to continue the tradition of the Uskudar University Midwifery Department student symposium, where we addressed the theme of poverty. The phenomenon of poverty, which permeates every branch of social life, holistically affects an individual's life. Poverty is primarily a phenomenon that threatens groups requiring special attention in society. We organized this symposium as the Uskudar University Midwifery Department First Touch to Miracle Club to draw attention to this issue.”
In the symposium, completed in 4 sessions, midwifery students made presentations on various topics.
The event concluded after a group photo session.