Saving Mothers and Babies in Afghanistan

The Saving Mothers and Babies program of Morning Star Development continued this quarter, equipping families with practical knowledge to protect maternal and newborn health in communities with limited medical access. A new training cycle launched with 240 women and 110 men, reaching an estimated 12,600 additional people as participants shared life-saving health knowledge with their families and neighbors. Weekly classes focused on prenatal care, hygiene, safe delivery practices, and recognizing danger signs for mothers and infants. Participants are already applying what they learn, with families adopting healthier practices such as improved sanitation and greater awareness of maternal health needs.

In another program area, 120 women and 60 men graduated from the most recent training cycle, extending health education to an estimated 3,000 people in surrounding communities. During this quarter, four babies were born and survived with the support of trained participants—one born to a student and three births assisted by graduates using the skills they learned in the program.

One graduate, whom we will call Fatima, recently used her training during a difficult delivery for her sister-in-law. When the newborn was delivered, the baby was not breathing and was assumed to be dead. Remembering what she had learned in class, Fatima gently tilted the baby’s head and used the suction device from her health kit to clear fluid from the baby’s mouth. After massaging the baby’s back, the newborn suddenly cried. Fatima later shared that without the training she received, she would not have known what to do. Because of the knowledge and simple tools she received, a newborn life was saved.

Links:

• Medical Training and Services

There is a common thread in the stories recently. At least three different women (Sediqa, Amina, and Zainab) told similar stories. Each story was told about a mother with excessive bleeding after birth.

• One piece of advice from a grandmother was “if you are bleeding, you should walk an hour until it stops”. Zainab fell over and died.
• Amina’s mother had just delivered her sixth baby and was bleeding heavily. She wanted to go to the hospital, but the father said it would be shameful. Eventually, they went to the hospital, but Amina’s mother died in route to the hospital

Fatima told the story of the two children she lost. One baby during the first year was vomiting and had so much diarrhea. She stopped breastfeeding thinking this would help with the diarrhea. Two days later, the baby died.

 Each of these stories ended with a phrase like: “If we would have had this class earlier this life would have been saved.”

We have seen great success is basic education for both men and women as their look for early and late signs for trauma for a delievery. Many deaths can be avoided by preparation and training.