Training Midwives, the Hope of African Mothers
Download full booklet hereAMREF believes in a future where no woman dies giving birth, a future where African women have access to quality care during pregnancy and childbirth. To make this future come true, AMREF is running the international Stand Up for African Mothers campaign. One of the goals of the campaign is to train 15,000 midwives by 2015 to reduce maternal deaths in sub-Saharan Africa and to bridge the gap in meeting the Millennium Development Goals.
Africa’s health and wealth is largely dependent on African women. Yet every year, about 162,000 mothers die on the continent as a result of complications during pregnancy and childbirth. Women in sub-Saharan Africa face an adult lifetime risk of 1 in 39 of dying from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes, compared with a low risk of 1 in 3,800 for developed countries. AMREF is deeply concerned about these needless deaths, most of which could be prevented by midwives with good training and basic equipment. One midwife can look after 500 women every year, and safely deliver 100 children.
Through the Stand Up for African Mothers campaign, AMREF aims to train 15,000 additional African midwives by 2015. Once trained, we expect these midwives to be able to provide health education and services to over seven million women each year.
The training of midwives under this campaign will be conducted in Angola, Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The training includes a mix of upgrading and initial training to be achieved by diverse methods, including e-Learning and classroom training. The numbers to be trained in each country have been established in partnership with the respective ministries of health. Reaching these goals will depend on funds raised in the Stand Up for African Mothers campaign.
In this booklet you will meet some of the midwifery students in Ethiopia, Kenya and South Sudan, where training has begun. The training will expand to other countries as more funds are raised. To make a donation or learn more about the Stand Up for African Mothers campaign, go to www.standupforafricanmothers.com
AMREF is a transparent organisation distributing funds of up to $85 million per year.
