Like many mothers, Tracy Fountain wanted to return to work after the birth of her children.
However, she also wished to make sure the nanny she left her little ones with would know what to do in the event of an accident or emergency at home. So Ms Fountain set about finding a paediatric first-aid training course she and the nanny could complete together to ensure they were both up to speed on injury prevention.
But all she could find, at the time, was a programme designed for companies.
"We both went on it, and even though we have a great relationship, her being on the course with her employer wasn't a great environment for her to develop confidence," says Ms Fountain.
So she decided to leave her leadership training position and set up Back to Basics as a teaching enterprise to coach parents and nannies in child injury prevention. She conducted research during the next couple of years, hooking up with paediatricians and other experts in the field.
"I felt if we took best international practice and created a programme that was relevant to this region, considered cultural factors and language factors, it would start to generate awareness," says Ms Fountain.
Her Back to Basics courses are delivered in English, Arabic and Tagalog, which is spoken by about a third of the population in the Philippines, because the majority of the housemaids in the UAE speak one of the three, says Ms Fountain. "But we also had to consider where we could get great instructors," she adds. "All our instructors have to have a strong medical background or be paramedics. It's been impossible to find instructors from other regions."
To get around the problem, Indonesian or Sri Lankan housemaids receive written course material in their first language, while everyone else is given a booklet in English, Arabic or Tagalog.
Across the country, 83 per cent of child deaths are preventable, according to data from the Ministry of Health. Statistics show that while 65 per cent of child deaths are traffic related, nearly a quarter are caused within the home due to drowning, falls and fires.
Last year, Mafraq Hospital in Abu Dhabi launched a children's injury prevention programme in response.
It was Ms Fountain's passion to improve child injury prevention in the Emirates that helped her succeed in a recent competition for social entrepreneurs, according to organisers.
The initiative was created by Dubai+Acumen, which is a partner of the not-for-profit venture capital organisation Acumen Fund. Buksha, an Emirati-owned sustainable rural tourism enterprise, was also a winner.
The ideas submitted for this competition were closely studied to ensure they were truly social enterprises, innovative and had a positive effect on the social issues they aimed to tackle.
The other three criteria included impact, sustainability and scalability, says the Dubai+Acumen chapter leader Noor Al Jallaf. Based on these factors, Back to Basics and Buksha received the highest scores, Ms Al Jallaf says.
To more broadly help prevent child injuries in the Emirates, parents are also encouraged to take the Back to Basics course. But they are not allowed to accompany their employees.
"We don't allow that because when [housemaids] are with their own peers [they] get a lot more confidence," says Ms Fountain.
"We get them into the position where they are really comfortable in saying if they don't know and they can make mistakes," she adds.
The first session was delivered in November, and the company has since trained some 600 parents and housemaids.
"These are generally safety-conscious people who have sought us out but our main challenge now is we want this to become available to all income levels," says Ms Fountain.
The company is talking to government departments in Abu Dhabi to see how it can develop community programmes for all new and next generation parents. And it has partnered with the Palestine Children's Relief Fund to ensure families in the Emirates who look after youngsters here for treatment or operations are properly trained in injury prevention.
gduncan@thenational.ae
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S23%20ULTRA
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ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck
SPEC%20SHEET
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UAE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani
Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Salem Rashid, Mohammed Al Attas, Alhassan Saleh
Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Yahya Nader, Ahmed Barman, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah, Yahya Al Ghassani
Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
SUZUME
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Makoto%20Shinkai%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStars%3A%20Nanoka%20Hara%2C%20Hokuto%20Matsumura%2C%20Eri%20Fukatsu%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ENGLAND TEAM
Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Joe Root (captain), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The low down on MPS
What is myofascial pain syndrome?
Myofascial pain syndrome refers to pain and inflammation in the body’s soft tissue. MPS is a chronic condition that affects the fascia (connective tissue that covers the muscles, which develops knots, also known as trigger points).
What are trigger points?
Trigger points are irritable knots in the soft tissue that covers muscle tissue. Through injury or overuse, muscle fibres contract as a reactive and protective measure, creating tension in the form of hard and, palpable nodules. Overuse and sustained posture are the main culprits in developing trigger points.
What is myofascial or trigger-point release?
Releasing these nodules requires a hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure to release muscular shortness and tightness. This eliminates restrictions in connective tissue in orderto restore motion and alleviate pain. Therapy balls have proven effective at causing enough commotion in the tissue, prompting the release of these hard knots.
Scores
Rajasthan Royals 160-8 (20 ov)
Kolkata Knight Riders 163-3 (18.5 ov)
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Borussia Dortmund v Paderborn (11.30pm)
Saturday
Bayer Leverkusen v SC Freiburg (6.30pm)
Werder Bremen v Schalke (6.30pm)
Union Berlin v Borussia Monchengladbach (6.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Wolfsburg (6.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldof v Bayern Munich (6.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Cologne (9.30pm)
Sunday
Augsburg v Hertha Berlin (6.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Mainz (9pm)
Results
2pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,200m, Winner: Mouheeb, Tom Marquand (jockey), Nicholas Bachalard (trainer)
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Honourable Justice, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
3.30pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dark Silver, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
4pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Dark Of Night. Antonio Fresu, Al Muhairi.
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Habah, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
