Training Afghan Women Health Professionals

Summary

Trains 30 female health professionals in Afghanistan or in a refugee camp in Pakistan, which will allow more Afghan women to access quality healthcare, including reproductive healthcare.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

Taliban restrictions and war made healthcare unavailable to Afghan women—with deadly consequences. Today, Afghan women suffer the world’s highest maternal mortality rate as the country struggles through a period of reconstruction. Because Afghans have a strong preference that women receive healthcare from women, training female traditional birth attendants (TBA) and nurse/health educators (NHE) increases women’s access to quality healthcare, especially reproductive healthcare, and saves lives.

How will this project solve this problem?

TBAs learn how to deliver babies safely and about pregnancy disorders and signs of danger during delivery. NHEs learn over 100 medical subjects and perform practical work as part of their program. They provide vaccinations and other medical care.

Potential Long Term Impact

This project will train 30 Afghan women as health professionals and will ease shortages of trained Afghan female health workers. Graduates will either work in clinics for Afghan women and children or assist in home baby deliveries.

Project Message

Many women in our area died because of problems arising during delivery. By conducting this workshop, you saved the lives of women who might have died during pregnancy or lost the life of their child.
- Asma, Traditional Birth Attendant

Additional Documentation

This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).

Resources