ACCESS trains 115 new community midwives in Afghanistan
May 2008
Newly graduated midwives in Badakshan Province take the Midwives Pledge.
An additional 115 community midwives have graduated from midwifery education programs in post-conflict Afghanistan. Through the ACCESS Associate Award Health Services Support Project (HSSP), USAID ensured funding and technical assistance to five community midwifery education programs—in Khost, Bamyan, Badakshan, Takhar and Jawzjan provinces.
The midwives were recruited with close involvement of the community and, following a rigorous selection process, received an 18-month period of education. These skilled midwives will now be deployed to health facilities in the communities that selected them, some of which are in very remote areas.
“We are ready to start working to improve the health for Afghan women and babies. We have been trained in the skills we will need to work as midwives. I know I will be working alone, but my community will support me,” said one graduating midwife.
Training sufficient numbers of midwives is one of the interventions the Government of Afghanistan has undertaken to address maternal mortality, the country’s greatest public health concern. With support from donors and partners, there are now 18 community midwifery schools, with USAID supporting seven of these programs. All are accredited by the National Midwifery Education Accreditation Board.
Acting USAID Mission Director Barbara Krell, who attended the graduation ceremonies in Bamayan and Badakshan, said: “These midwives literally hold the future of Afghanistan in their hands. Without skilled care during delivery, women in Afghanistan will continue to suffer.”
About ACCESS
The ACCESS Program is the U.S. Agency for International Development’s
global program to improve maternal and newborn health. The ACCESS Program works to expand
coverage, access and use of key maternal and newborn health services across a continuum
of care from the household to the hospital—with the aim of making quality health services
accessible for women and newborns.
Jhpiego implements the program in partnership with Save the
Children, Constella Futures, the Academy for Educational Development, the American
College of Nurse-Midwives and IMA World Health.
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