Anne Marpole, back left, a midwife at Infinity Health Clinic, teaches two nannies how to care for a newborn baby.
Anne Marpole, back left, a midwife at Infinity Health Clinic, teaches two nannies how to care for a newborn baby.

School's in for Dubai nannies



In a leafy part of Al Wasl Road in Dubai, Corazon Romero, a nanny, is attempting to bathe her new charge. She's got all her equipment lined up by the bath - towels and nappies at the ready - and yet there is one thing missing.

There is total silence. No crying that would normally accompany a newborn's bath time because the "baby'" here is a doll, and Corazon is taking part in a nanny class run by Infinity Baby Care.

Two years ago, Jane Bevan, co-founder with Dr Michael Loubser of Infinity Baby Care, based at the Infinity Clinic in Dubai, gave birth to her daughter, Alice, and was shocked to find how little post-natal care there was here compared with in her native United Kingdom. "I remember thinking where do you go, whom do you see when you've got questions about looking after a tiny baby? There are endless books, but when you are juggling a baby and everything else you don't have time to refer to all those books, and it might not be a question you would make an appointment to see a paediatrician about."

In a country where home help is easily available but trained nannies are few and far between, Bevan decided to offer nanny classes on top of their ante- and post-natal classes and home visits. "Because," as Bevan points out, "they didn't exist anywhere else in Dubai. Here, you can have your nanny trained by a midwife who will teach her all the basics of baby care, from picking up and holding newborns, to bathing them and putting them safely to bed."

Anne Marpole qualified as a midwife 20 years ago in South Africa, and has lived in Dubai for the past 14 years. Marpole, who has two children of her own aged 12 and 10, helped devise the structure of the nanny class using her own professional and personal experience and the latest childcare recommendations. "We teach them from a safety point of view first and foremost," explains Marpole, "then we teach them the basic skills in caring for a young baby."

Employers are discouraged from attending the two-and-half-hour class, which helps Marpole strike up a relationship with the nannies. "I want the nanny to be open with me, so I create a very relaxed atmosphere that gets them to open up about what they don't know. If they are scared to bath the baby, for example, we focus more on that." She says.

During the class, held in a room equipped with nursery furniture and looking out on to a small courtyard garden, Marpole constantly refers to the relevant pages from a booklet, written by Marpole, Loubser and Bevan in very simple language with plenty of illustrations, which is given to nannies to take home. The booklet has been designed so the pages can be torn out and pinned up around the kitchen and nursery as handy reference points. "We emphasise to the employers that they have to go through the booklet with the nanny after the class and adapt it to their home environment," Marpole says.

Of course, one of the drawbacks of using dolls is that they don't cry or wriggle, but Marpole constantly notes to the nannies how the baby is likely to react. "Baby will be crying now," she says as they practise undressing a baby for bath time. "You mustn't be scared of crying. Do everything slowly and safely. All the time you must talk to baby, make baby clever."

Language barriers are a concern addressed in a variety of ways. Throughout the class Marpole speaks gently and in simple English. There are pictures of nursery furniture on the wall, which Marpole points at to find out from the nannies what sort of equipment they have to use at their employer's home. "I make it as practical as possible because I worry about the language barrier," says Marpole. At every stage she shows the nanny first then gets the nanny to show her. "I get them to return demonstrate - then I can gauge whether they have understood."

"It's definitely made my life a lot less stressful," says Belinda Garside, a Briton, whose nanny attended the course at Infinity. "I arrived in the country in April with a five-week old baby and a 14-month old. I found a nanny who was lovely but quite young and hadn't done anything with babies." She explains that she heard about the course through a friend and thought it would be perfect for her. "I wanted to trust my nanny enough that I could leave her with the baby for an hour or so. She came back from the course and was telling me what to do - it was brilliant! We don't get training like that as mothers - she taught me some things I didn't know."

Marpole doesn't bog the nannies down in childcare theory, but does explain in simple terms, and demonstrating with a doll and a travel cot, the latest medical advice such as the "safe to sleep" methodology established to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

The nannies' needs to balance their childcare responsibilities with their other jobs such as cleaning are also tackled. "Your number one priority is baby, number two is the house. You may have to leave the ironing and look after the baby," Marpole tells her students. She explains that they can put the baby in a little baby seat, as long as they are strapped in, and discourages them from holding the baby all the time. "It is very important for you as a nanny when you are left at home with the baby that you can't hold it all day," she says. "If the baby is crying, you don't pick it up straight away. It has to learn to be happy and be alone - not alone in the room, but so it can see you but you are doing your jobs."

The course would seem to be particularly relevant to expatriates living here who rely more on their nannies because they don't have family to support them in those first difficult weeks. "By the second time, you need to entertain the older child so you have to get out," says Garside. "When you don't have parents or family here, it's very hard to find someone you can trust to leave the baby with in those early days."

At the end of the class, Marpole hands the nannies their certificates. "They are thrilled to get them," she says. The certificate also proves useful when nannies move on to other employers or leave the country to return home. "My nanny wants, ultimately, to go back to Sri Lanka and set up her own nursery," explains Garside, "It's a great starting point for anyone who wants to take their job further. It's nice to be able to help her as well as her helping me."

Bevan agrees: "To invest in your nanny here is just brilliant."

For more information contact the Infinity Clinic, 050 458 2633 or 04 344 8994, www.ihcdubai.com

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

Hamilton’s 2017

Australia - 2nd; China - 1st; Bahrain - 2nd; Russia - 4th; Spain - 1st; Monaco - 7th; Canada - 1st; Azerbaijan - 5th; Austria - 4th; Britain - 1st; Hungary - 4th; Belgium - 1st; Italy - 1st; Singapore - 1st; Malaysia - 2nd; Japan - 1st; United States - 1st; Mexico - 9th

Company Fact Box

Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019

Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO

Based: Amman, Jordan

Sector: Education Technology

Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed

Stage: early-stage startup 

Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.

England-South Africa Test series

1st Test England win by 211 runs at Lord's, London

2nd Test South Africa win by 340 runs at Trent Bridge, Nottingham

3rd Test July 27-31 at The Oval, London

4th Test August 4-8 at Old Trafford, Manchester

Crazy Rich Asians

Director: Jon M Chu

Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan

Four stars

The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially

A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro
Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books 

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

David Haye record

Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4

NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Key figures in the life of the fort

Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae

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 National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
  1. Join parent networks
  2. Look beyond school fees
  3. Keep an open mind
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed

Based: Muscat

Launch year: 2018

Number of employees: 40

Sector: Online food delivery

Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception 

Company%20Profile
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Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes

Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

Saturday's results

Brighton 1-1 Leicester City
Everton 1-0 Cardiff City
Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
Watford 0-3 Liverpool
West Ham United 0-4 Manchester City

The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km

Price: Dh133,900

On sale: now 

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

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