Midwives Save Lives: Train 40 New African Midwives

Meet Irene: An experienced midwife in a busy clinic.

For fourteen years, 53-year-old Irene has worked as a midwife at the Mapalo Clinic in Ndola, northern Zambia. She works 14-hour shifts caring for 50 to 60 women a day.

"I tell [the expectant mothers] to take folic acid and iron, show them how to prevent malaria, check their blood pressure, and teach them about warning signs such as severe headaches, vaginal bleeding, and swelling of hands and feet that can lead to preeclampsia, for example. I also supervise births, of which we perform an average of 100 per month, conduct follow-ups with mothers who recently gave birth, and vaccinate babies up to a year old. 

We are working to vaccinate all babies, monitor women, and help colleagues supervise deliveries. Due to the high work demand, there is often no time for a coffee or lunch break, but that's okay! There are bigger challenges. There is only one ambulance available for the entire district. If there are problems such as fetal bleeding or placental failure, expecting mothers must travel to a larger hospital miles away since we don't have an operating room."

The Ndola region has a population of about 47,000. With so many residents, it's harder to ensure everyone has access to care, especially mothers in more remote parts of the area.

"There are many [residents in this village], and the area is very vast. Many people have to travel far to get to the clinic. If there were another clinic in another part of the village, mothers wouldn't have to travel as far to get the help they need."

But despite the challenges, Irene loves her job.

"As a midwife, I always feel very proud when I help a woman all the way from the beginning of her pregnancy until she has delivered a healthy baby without complications. Every time I succeed, it gives me a fantastic feeling!"

With your help, we can continue to train more midwives to help reduce the burden in overwhelmed clinics throughout the continent. Through training and development, our midwives work with mothers to maintain proper nutrition during pregnancy, do routine checkups on moms and babies, teach expectant mothers about the warning signs for potential pregnancy complications, and much more.

Thank you for helping us train the next generation of midwives to save more lives!