Video: Catherine Ojo: Midwifery in Northern Nigeria

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Catherine is a winner of the ICM Save the Children Every One Midwife Award 2011.

“The way I helped mothers and children is that I try to build a confidence of these women. I try to involve a husband, their roles and responsibilities in supporting these women. Because many of these women have not gone to school, they are not economically empowered; they have to wait for their husbands before they can rush to the hospital."

"Some come by bus; some come by donkey, some by a wheel barrow where they have to push through a stream. I’ll never forget 1st of January 2004 when a pre- term baby was brought in. Despite all the odds that day, I found myself walking alone because my partner had fallen ill, but I was able to cope and I was able resuscitate this baby."

"Six months after, when I saw the baby with the mother she appreciated me tremendously that I saved her babies life - I was so thrilled!. Midwives should be supported in all the various countries, especially where mortality is very high. They should be better paid, better skilled, have training and re training. We need to know that midwives are important in any society.”

Nearly one million children under the age of 5 in Nigeria die each year. Almost 250,000 of them are babies.