INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2017

MARCH 8TH: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 

#isabelzendal#women'sday#IWD#smallpoxvaccine#esl#efl#teachingresources#englishlearning#

Dear all,

Some weeks ago I happened to see the film 22 Ángeles, or 22 Angels, by the Spanish Director Javier Bardem, a title I had never heard of till that evening.

To my surprise, it was a film based on a real story. Or should I say real History?

Today, February 26th 1773, 244 years ago, was born one of the greatest women in the History of Nursing: Isabel Zendal.

Declared by the World Health Organization (WHO), in 1950, the First Nurse in International Mission, Isabel Zendal managed to gather, feed, protect and keep   22 parentless children, aged from 3 to 9, alive, and, at the same time, keep the smallpox vaccine active. This all took place onboard the sailing vessel Maria Pita, on the voyages from A Coruña (Spain) to America and from there to the Philippines.

Known as the First Royal Philanthropic Expedition of the smallpox vaccine, funded by the Spanish King Carlos IV -they sailed from A Coruña on November 30th, 1803, and reached Puerto Rico’s coast on February 9^th, 1804.

   Not only did Isabel look after the 22 children on the voyage to America, fed them, and kept them alive (except one who died during the voyage), but she also devoted all her care and love to them, day and night, as if she were their mother.  And throughout the ten following years, she went on doing the same with those children and the 26 who, by being vaccinated, became carriers to bring the vaccine from Mexico to the Philippines.

Isabel Zendal’s great achievement was to save the life of millions of people who would, otherwise, have died.

 

At the same time, I couldn’t help realizing how different the story of Florence Nightingale was, and how differently Florence’s work had been considered and awarded.

The very first moment I started to learn English, I heard, and read about Florence Nightingale, whereas it has been these days I have come across Isabel Zendal and the extraordinary story of her life.

On International Women’s Day I would like to upload this post as my little homage to these two great nurses.

In the hope it will make up for the years Isabel Zendal was cast into oblivion.

February 26^th, 2017

Maribel Miró

* There is an error on Nightingale's slide n. 4; please read around instead of arund.

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