A Healthier Future for South Sudan's Families

Every year, an estimated 300,000 women and 3 million newborns die from complications during pregnancy, childbirth or other neonatal causes. More than 90% of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and most could be prevented with the simple, low-cost care of a skilled midwife—a profession that is tragically under-represented across the world.

Midwives can meet about 90% of essential sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent healthcare needs. But there is a global shortage of midwives, according to UNFPA, which projects a potential shortage of 750,000 midwives by 2030, especially in low-income countries.

Because 80% of people affected by war, conflict, and natural disaster are women and children, International Medical Corps prioritizes maternal and newborn health. We work to address the challenges of providing quality training to midwives and other birth attendants, especially in crisis-affected countries.

One example is our midwife and Midwife Supervisor with International Medical Corps in South Sudan. He graduated from Juba College of Nursing and Midwifery, which was run by International Medical Corps, and joined our organization in 2019. In his role, he conducts complicated deliveries, trains and supervises midwives and other clinical staff, manages sexual and reproductive health activities, and completes monthly inventory and reporting at more than 20 health facilities, including Malakal Teaching Hospital.

“Giving birth without a trained midwife, doctor, or nurse is incredibly dangerous. In South Sudan, which has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, I’m proud to work for International Medical Corps,” he says. “I supervise an outstanding team of midwives across many health facilities who save the lives of mothers and their babies with prenatal care, safe deliveries and postnatal services.”