Training Midwives in Afghanistan

Dear friends, 

The global health organizations recognize that Afghanistan should have nearly 3500 midwives trained in the next five years to cover at least 85% of pregnancies. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests a ratio of one trained midwife per 175 pregnant women. Currently, this ratio in Afghanistan is 0.1 per 1,000 pregnant women (rather than the required 5.7 midwives).

With the take-over of the de facto authorities and the suppression of women’s rights since August 2021, women are even more marginalized. The commitment to continue to allow training for midwifery gives some hope.

Since 2014, AfD has provided gap-training to over 950 certified midwifes across the country. In 2022, AfD provided training to 180 young women (midwives) and their families despite the challenges laid by the new de facto government and broader issues such as covid, lack of employment opportunity and extreme natural disasters (i.e. draught, flooding, earthquakes). AfD training included up skilling 120 midwifes who had received basic training as well as training for 60 midwifes as midwife trainers. These trainers gained the capacity to cascade the training with a greater reach to 120 other midwifes in more remote and or isolated province areas.

During the year 2022 AfD also advanced in developing a new module which is added to our training curriculum of midwives. This module will provide the midwives with additional information about counseling for proper nutrition both, the pregnant and lactating mother and provide necessary counseling for the proper nutrition of the baby. 

This module was developed upon the need assessment which was conducted in October 2022. The study of over 50 lactating mothers showed that the tendency towards formula feeding was prevailing and majority of the mothers did not know how to better support the nipple feeding process, thus they thought that the newborns discomfort and cry is the result of hunger, and therefore, they were starting feeding with formula.

Our new module developed depicts the necessary messages, and facts that a midwife can pass to mothers and thus help them to continue breast feeding their babies, as well as have balanced nutritious food for themselves.

The AfD target for 2023 is to train a total of 250 midwives in different rural areas of the country. 

Please support us further in order to continue our training program for the midwives, and continue saving lives. 

Links:

• AfD website