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Previous Winners

  • Sister Agnes Kasaigi, Uganda, 2014
  • Pronita Rani Raha, Bangladesh, 2014
  • Catherine Ojo, Nigeria, 2011
  • Sadya Naeemi, Afghanistan, 2011
  • Phoebe Lolly Mashao, South Africa, 2008
  • Hlalaph Kenkeyani, Malawi, 2008
  • Kiros Kebede, Ethiopia, 2005

“Making a Difference in the World”

Birth is the time when the risk of death is greatest. Globally, more than 1 million deaths occur on the first day of life, and an additional 1.3 million stillbirths and most of the 303,000 maternal deaths occur during childbirth. Many of these deaths can be averted. Midwives are the single most important cadre for preventing maternal, neonatal deaths, and stillbirths, but the number of midwives falls far short of the need. There is a global shortage of 3.5 million health workers, including 350,000 midwives, which puts millions of women and newborns at risk.

In low-resource settings, midwives provide the majority of immediate care to newborns born in facilities, often despite a lack of support or training for newborn care. The 2017 ICM Triennial Congress, hosted by ICM and the Canadian Association of Midwives, will highlight challenges facing midwifery at the policy and facility level and the work needed to ensure that women and babies receive high-quality, women-centered midwifery care wherever they may be. The theme for the 2017 Congress is Midwives: Making a Difference in the World.

The International Midwifery Awards

ICM and Save the Children have partnered since 2004 to recognize and reward midwives who have made a difference in their countries through their championship of newborn survival. The awards seek to recognize midwives who

  1. demonstrate an understanding of issues related to maternal and newborn care in low-resource settings where the majority of newborn deaths occur;
  2. have successfully championed improved policies to increase funding for and training of skilled birth attendants;
  3. have improved training, mentoring, and supportive supervision; and
  4. have improved the practice or scale-up of midwifery at a national or regional level.

The awards offer an opportunity to bring international attention to the urgent need for more – and better trained and supported – midwives, and for the policies and funding that will be needed to make that happen. The awards will help educate and mobilize national and global stakeholders – ministers of health and finance, parliamentarians, professional bodies, and educational and training bodies – about the importance of midwifery in maternal and newborn care and the critical need to support the midwifery profession, especially in countries where the maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality burdens are highest.

Winners will be identified and supported as champions for maternal and newborn health and encouraged to leverage the international attention gathered during the congress to increase country-level action at home. The winners are expected to receive attention in their respective countries and potentially beyond, and to serve as spokespersons for maternal and newborn health in the future.

Winners will receive their awards at the 31st ICM Triennial Congress in Toronto Canada June 18–22, 2017 (www.midwives2017.org).

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Purpose

To recognize midwives who have demonstrated achievements as change agents in improving basic maternal and newborn health care practices through policy advocacy, training and supportive mentoring, or provision of services in a country with a high burden of maternal and neonatal deaths and stillbirths.

Award

Awards will be presented to two midwives at the 31st ICM Congress in Toronto, Canada, June 18–22, 2017. Awards include a trophy, certificate of recognition, travel, accommodation and meals, and registration fees.

Application process

Closing Date is close of business 10 February 2017.

Applications may be submitted online or by emailing the form to the Healthy Newborn Network at info@healthynewbornnetwork.org.

Winners will be notified by 1 March 2017.

Selection Criteria

Nominees must:

  • Be working in a low- or middle-income country that that has one of the highest burden of deaths – maternal, neonatal and stillbirth (see list)
  • Be working in the public or non-profit health sector, in policy, clinical work, education, research or outreach
  • Provide examples of commitment and results for newborn care, for example, successful policy or funding advocacy, training in essential newborn care, or scaling-up of services that have led to improved practices and outcomes
  • Promote and participate in building a positive work environment, including policy, staff growth, mentorship, learning, and development
  • Be responsible for ensuring they have a valid passport, visa (if required), and any additional documentation that may be required to attend the meeting
  • Be conversant in English
  • Agree to submit within a year of receiving the award a report about activities they have undertaken nationally or globally to raise the profile of midwifery and to advocate for policy and practice changes with those in the midwifery world, health and finance policymakers, or with professional bodies in the health sector. Activities could include summaries of meetings, presentations made at conferences, links to media coverage, and other outcomes.