Pregnancy and childbirth are the leading causes of death and disability among women of childbearing age in developing countries. Having a skilled attendant during delivery is considered the single most critical intervention for ensuring safe motherhood.
Direct Relief is deeply committed to reducing maternal and infant mortality. It supports facilities and organizations that train midwives so that more women have access to prenatal and obstetric care, and more babies are properly cared for during their critical first hours and days. It also helps equip birth attendants with necessary supplies so they can make use of their life-saving skills.
Increasing Capacity
Direct Relief supports midwife training programs in 12 countries, including Afghanistan and India.
Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, but the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) is working to reverse that statistic. Founded by Sakena Yacoobi in 1995, AIL provides healthcare services, preschool through university-level education, and training to women and girls at four sites in Afghanistan. With support from the Abbott Fund and Direct Relief, AIL has operated a successful nurse-midwife training course since 2005. To date, 46 women have completed their training, with most now employed in clinics and hospitals. An additional 25 women are studying now and will graduate in August 2009, while a second group of 25 students is expected to graduate in 2010.
Trainees study a comprehensive curriculum of medical subjects during the 18-month program and after graduation are able to treat an estimated 11,000 patients a year. Culturally, Afghan women strongly prefer to receive care from a female provider, so highly skilled nurse-midwives provide greater access to care and are highly sought after. Direct Relief and the Abbott Fund have provided AIL with more than $7 million in cash grants and material assistance since 2005.
In Maharashtra State, India, PRASAD Chikitsa provides medical care to a largely tribal population marginalized by caste and poverty. Midwifery skills traditionally have been passed down through generations, with a midwife, or dai, learning from her grandmother and mother. With Direct Relief’s support, PRASAD Chikitsa is providing a two-year training program for dais to improve and expand their skill base. With support from the Abbott Fund, 40 dais are receiving training through the program.
Equipped and Ready
Training and equipping midwives significantly improves the chance for safe delivery. Based on input from partners in the field, Direct Relief created special kits to equip midwives. The kits come in two versions: one for traditional midwives working at the village level and another for graduates of formal midwife training programs, or certified midwives.
The traditional midwife kits are targeted to areas where more than 50 percent of deliveries happen at home and to providers who have completed basic birth-attendant training programs. Certified midwife kits have the same materials as a traditional midwife kit, but also include equipment such as stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, and instruments appropriate for births at home or in a health or maternity center. A certified midwife is attending or has graduated from a training program associated with one of our global partner organizations. Kits targeted to partners’ needs have helped increase capacity for safe delivery in several regions around the world:
- Africa - Uganda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Cameroon
- Asia - Afghanistan, Indonesia, India, China (Tibet), Laos, Philippines
- Latin America and the Caribbean - El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti
- Pacific - Fiji
Direct Relief is committed to improving the availability and effectiveness of maternity-related services. Training and equipping midwives significantly increases and improves the chance for safe delivery, saves lives, and safeguards the health of women and their families.