News on Midwifery

3 July 2017
News
A family opens up a UNFPA-supplied dignity kit at the evacuation centre in the Moneerah Integrated School. © UNFPA
Violence in Marawi displaces thousands of pregnant women and new mothers
ILIGAN, Philippines – Nineteen-year-old Tarhata Mostare gave birth to her third child at home on 23 May – the same day fighting erupted between government forces and the Maute and Abu Sayyaf armed groups in the city of... Read more
19 June 2017
News
Midwifery students listen to a fetal heartbeat. A new generation of midwives will shore up reproductive health care in Ebola-ravaged Sierra Leone. © Olivia Acland, United Nations
One year after Ebola’s end, Sierra Leone's midwives help mend health system
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – The horrific Ebola outbreak in West Africa came to an end one year ago. The crisis left over 3,900 Sierra Leoneans dead and health systems in disarray – yet the true toll of the epidemic has... Read more
2 June 2017
News
Health workers in Serbia receive UNFPA-provided medical supplies. UNFPA is supporting sexual and reproductive health care for refugees and migrants, but many women are not prioritizing their health. © UNFPA
Getting refugees and migrants to prioritize their reproductive health
SID, Serbia – Aliah*, a 28-year-old woman from Afghanistan, took an unusually brave step in April: She spoke with candour about her sexual and reproductive health needs at a workshop in Sid, a town in north-western... Read more
31 May 2017
News
The medical centre handles an assortment of issues, from maternal care to abuse. "There is a lot of domestic violence within the camp," said Adorable, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. © UNFPA
Betou medical staff work around the clock to serve village of refugees
BETOU, Republic of the Congo – “Some months we have more than 145 births at the centre – a lot, considering that we only are six midwives working here,” said Solange, a midwife at a medical centre in Betou, a village in... Read more
19 May 2017
News
Nurse Lydia Kasiya speaks with obstetric fistula survivor Nachilango Bisolomo at Monkey-bay Community Hospital. © UNFPA Malawi/Henry Chimbali
After 46 years of suffering, fistula survivor finds relief
MANGOCHI DISTRICT, Malawi – A phone call changed Nachilango Bisolomo’s life. For 46 years, she had suffered from an obstetric fistula, a stigmatizing injury caused by childbirth complications. Fistula causes... Read more
12 May 2017
News
Fatima holds her newborn son, Jad, as she speaks to an aid worker. Displaced by the Syrian conflict, Fatima grew increasingly frail during her pregnancy. © WFP/Hussam Al Saleh
This Mother’s Day, remembering the joys – and dangers – of motherhood
UNITED NATIONS, New York/HOMS, Syria – Motherhood should be a time of joy, but for too many women, it comes with something else: peril. "Becoming a mother and having a family was always a dream of mine. But I never... Read more
3 May 2017
News
"A mother’s trust in a midwife is the first medicine for a successful delivery," says Burcard Umuhoza, a midwife in Gisenyi, Rwanda. © UNFPA Rwanda/Maureen Twahirwa
To reduce maternal deaths, look to midwives
GISENYI, Rwanda – “Mothers and babies lose their lives due to complications that could have been prevented,” Burcard Umuhoza, 28, told UNFPA in a frank conversation about the trials he faces as a midwife in the Gisenyi... Read more
1 May 2017
News
“There has been an exodus of qualified midwives and reproductive health professionals,” Shatha Al Mostafa told UNFPA. © UNFPA/Nadine Cornier
Heroic midwives save lives amid Syria’s chaos
GAZIANTEP, Turkey – Midwife Shatha Al Mostafa started her career at the most difficult time possible – amid the escalating violence, insecurity and human rights abuses in her home country, Syria. Since graduating from... Read more
28 April 2017
News
Rose Akongo, 26, was in labour by the time she arrived at the border post. © UNFPA Uganda/Evelyn Matsamura Kiapi
South Sudan clashes force pregnant women into the bush, over the border
LAMWO, Uganda – Nine mothers stood in a single-file line, cuddling their newborn babies, in a refugee reception centre in northern Uganda. Visibly exhausted and anxious, each had a story to tell about being heavily... Read more
30 March 2017
News
UNFPA-supported trainings are enabling midwives to provide emergency obstetric and newborn care. © UNFPA Cambodia
Cambodian midwives hone skills to save lives
KAMPONG CHAM, Cambodia – In Cambodia, giving birth is often called “crossing the river.” Both can be dangerous – even deadly – if something goes wrong. This is particularly true for women living in remote areas, who may... Read more

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