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Midwifery aid projects in Ethiopia

I have received the following letter from Zeshi Fisher in South Australia, and she has given me permission to reprint it here, so that others may learn of the humanitarian work being done in Africa.

"I am a 3yr bachelor of midwifery student in my final year at the Flinders University of South Australia. Over the summer period December 2004 – February 2005, I was involved in the creation and development of a health post and education centre in the northern desert regions of Ethiopia, known as the Afar. Four friends and I initiated the project and completed it with the help of financial support through private donations and other small-scale fundraising activities.

The Afar is a place of extreme need in all aspects of health and education. It was our hope to provide a place from where a women’s extension worker (WEW), and/or community health worker (CHW) could provide basic health care and education to the nomadic communities who live in the region. The health of Afar women is especially fragile. Female genital cutting (FGC) is performed on almost every young girl, causing her to suffer multifaceted implications for the rest of her life. The maternal and infant morbidity and mortality is devastating, with each woman facing a 1 in 7 chance of dying in childbirth. These women predominantly birth in their villages accompanied by traditional birth attendants (TBAs) or relatives, and receive no or very little care before and after the birth.

An Australian midwife, Valerie Browning, has been working to improve the well-being of Afar women for many years. She has founded an NGO called Afar Pastoralist Development Assn. (APDA), which is instrumental in the development of health and education strategies for the Afar people, particularly through their work with women as a central aspect of functional and healthy communities.

One important aspect of APDA’s work is the training of WEWs and TBAs from the community to enable them to take skills and travel with their nomadic families. In order to provide the birth attendants with an understanding of the birth processes, I would like to take 15-20 foetal model dolls (dark brown) and pelvises to Ethiopia to give to APDA for the purpose of enhancing their training programs. At present they have little if any educational tools with which to work.

I am hoping to raise the money needed to purchase these dolls, and I am aware that Birth International sells model pelvis & foetal doll sets for AUS$175. It is my hope that Birth International may be able to provide me with a reduction of price if not a donation for the purpose of this cause. It would be enormously appreciated not only by myself, but also by the birth attendants and birthing women of the Afar Region of Ethiopia who will subsequently be able to enjoy improved care and birthing outcomes as a result of this education".

Of course Birth International will help her with this project, as we have with others of this nature. When you look at the conditions in which women and babies have to live in many parts of the world, it seems the very least that we can do. It is especially uplifting that our midwifery students are involved in projects of this kind - a mighty effort, given their study workloads.

Posted by andrea at September 05, 2005 12:34 PM