PROJECT #206
Project #206 | Skills Training for Midwives in Afghanistan
Our Partnership with Action for Development
In Afghanistan, maternal and infant mortality rates are among the highest in the world. Long distances to health facilities and a lack of female medical personnel are among the main concerns regarding women’s access to health care. Between 2014 and 2019, Actions for Development (AfD) trained more than 600 midwives in 6 provinces of Afghanistan. AfD’s midwifery training material was developed in partnership with the Midwifery School of Geneva in Switzerland with the aim of expanding and enhancing the knowledge and skills of the midwives who would be receiving it across 10 identified key areas.
One Day’s Wages partnered with Action for Development (AfD) to train midwives across 4 provinces of Afghanistan: Kabul, Logar, Wardak, and Badakhshan. Following a “skills-gap protocol,” AfD delivered government-trained community midwives, who will then become midwife trainers. The training for the midwives ran for 12 days in a secure rented venue, sourced with the help of local provincial public health officials and the local community. Midwives then returned to their communities and delivered the training to an additional 4 midwives each through a cascade-model approach. This method of training has proven more effective, less expensive, more sustainable, and more community-based than traditional training methods. After the training, midwives are able to better perform their roles in the healthcare system, contribute to the prevention of unnecessary maternal/infant mortality, and improve women’s participation in the workforce.
Our Collective Impact
Midwife Trainers Trained
Midwives Received Training by Midwife Trainers
Total People Impacted
Midwives are recognized as health professionals who support and provide necessary services to women during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. They are also the closest health professionals to detect complications and provide preventive measures and medical care. These services are essential, especially in rural areas where female gynecologists are rarely available. The government of Afghanistan and global health organizations are have confirmed that Afghanistan needs to have nearly 3,500 midwives trained in the next five years to cover just 85% of pregnancies. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests a ratio of one trained midwife per 175 pregnant women. Currently, the ratio in Afghanistan is 0.1 per 1,000 pregnant women (rather than the required 5.7 midwives)
Thank you for making this possible!
Our movement is grassroots, to us that not only means the work on the ground is led by local leaders with the support of the community, but it also means that we raise the funds for our projects through everyday donors just like you. In addition to all the donors that gave $25, $100, or $250 and the campaigners that ran a race or donated their birthday to raise funds, we also want to thank our generous business, school, and faith sponsors who believed in our work and joined the movement.
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