‘We have a shower for pain relief’: can Haiti’s young midwives save a new generation?
Sylvie Delice was born on a hot, slow March afternoon in a clinic in Marigot, a coastal town in south Haiti. The labour was seven hours; her mother, Natalie, 24, a seamstress, was stoic throughout, helped by two midwives in pale pink scrubs. Sylvie arrived strong and healthy, and was named after her mother’s cousin. … Continued
Guinea: 500 newborns die every week – Official
Five hundred newborns die every week in Guinea, mainly because of the lack of qualified midwives in the country’s maternity hospitals, Ben Youssouf Keita, president of the National Assembly’s Health and Sport Commission said on Monday in Conakry.”In the context of neonatology, official statistics have shown that 500 babies die every week in Guinea. That’s … Continued
Looming famine threatens the lives of 2 million pregnant women and new mothers in Yemen
SANA’A, Yemen – Four years into conflict, Yemen has become home to the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Over 22 million people are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance. Two thirds of the population do not know when their next meal will come. “Some days I cannot provide food [for my children],” said 28-year-old … Continued
A Day in the Life of a Community Health Worker
SACRIFICING TO MEET NEEDS Shakila is a volunteer Community Health Worker at a health post in Enjil District, Herat Province. Every day, prior to working a typical 24 hour shift at the health post, she leaves her two-year old son, Mohammad Moshfe, with her mother-in-law. “Everyone is welcome here. Enjil is a poor district. It … Continued
These Women Are Saving Lives, One Pregnancy at a Time
Regions of sub-Saharan Africa have some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Geographical obstacles, scarce financial resources and the terrors of political insurrection can transform what should be one of the happiest times of a woman’s life into a race for survival. While this issue has been covered extensively from a geopolitical … Continued
Trained midwives provide healthcare to Rohingya women
BRAC University is providing a three-year course to train midwives to improve maternal and neonatal health services in Bangladesh Scores of midwives are working in the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar to ensure health security, deliver babies and help young mothers. About 148 midwives, who completed a diploma course under the Developing Midwives Project from … Continued
Dying babies and no doctors: A look inside a Yemeni hospital
When Kenan was born four months premature, there were no doctors at al-Sadaqa Hospital to care for him. So his grandmothers tried to save him. They placed the infant in an incubator, but it was broken. They tried a second one. It wouldn’t heat up. It had been 24 hours since a doctor had last … Continued
Amid grinding conflict, Yemen’s midwives go to heroic lengths to save lives
Hajjah, Yemen – “When the war broke out, I left my job in the city and came to Aslam,” Rawthah Ahmed, a midwife with 25 years of experience, told UNFPA. Her services are desperately needed in Aslam, a remote village in Hajjah Governorate. “There are no health facilities or basic services. People are very poor; … Continued
How Natural Birth Became Inaccessible to the Poor
Pilar* gave birth in a private, “humanized” hospital in Mexico City that takes a holistic approach to health and combines world-class medicine with the comforts of a five-star hotel. The exterior walls of the hospital are covered with ivy, the floors are marble, and soothing tunes from a piano often echo in the multilevel foyer. … Continued