Training Midwives in Afghanistan

Maternal and New-born Health Rates Declining – Midwife Training Urgently Needed

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Between 2000-2017, Afghanistan made significant progress with its maternal and child
health, becoming one of the countries to achieve a 50% reduction in its maternal mortality
rate. By 2019, rates of infant mortality halved from rates observed in 2000, to 47 per 1000
live births. Unfortunately, these progresses are at risk and rates have vastly declined since
the withdrawal of US troops and NATO forces from Afghanistan in 2021 and the Islamist
takeover. Today, the UN estimates that one woman from Afghanistan dies every two hours
during pregnancy or childbirth. This is the highest maternal mortality rate in Asia and
demonstrates a dire need for health care improvements.

Economic sanctions and devastation, the lack of sustained donor support for health care
and Taliban interference with basic human rights have all gravely affected quality and access
to child and maternal health care. Furthermore, many health workers have also left
Afghanistan, exacerbating an additional stress on the functioning of health system. A crucial
and lifechanging strategy for improving maternal and new-born health is midwifery
education.

Our organisation, AfD, has established a reputation in Afghanistan as a group that promotes
improved health and makes the most of medical care. Yet, in 2023, and despite positive
responses from donors and other supporters, AfD was unable to pursue our goals of training
230 midwives due to a lack of funding and inability to secure the sufficient amount of
funding to launch the training. The cost of training one midwife through our program is
250$ (for a two-week training, The training and enhancement of skills of these midwives
would greatly benefit women, with estimated 450 women per annum would benefit.
Current circumstances have demonstrated that very soon, there will be insufficient
educated girls able to enter university for midwifery training. Therefore, continued
investment in midwives' training and development should be an urgent priority at a time
when resources and skills are severely limited and generating such a devastating impact on
women and children.

Help AfD to help the families in need and save lives in Afghanistan,