Midwifery school: life for mothers and children

Background information

According to UNICEF, 62 out of every 1000 babies die in their first year of life in South Sudan. By comparison, in Switzerland, four out of every 1000 children die in their first year of life (2018).

The need for trained midwives is great. The midwifery school of our partner organization PRDA was founded in 2005 in the city of Leer. In spring 2015, the school was relocated from Leer to northern Kenya due to the civil war. As part of a three-year training program, qualified midwives are trained there to accompany women during pregnancy and birth, prevent problems and treat complications.

Quite fundamentally, there is a demand for training in the health sector in South Sudan. Prevention activities, including vaccinations, are also important to reduce the spread of diseases. The trained midwives inform women on the topic of reproductive health.

Project goals

The project trains professional midwives. They care for women during pregnancy as well as during and after birth and give the newborns a good start in life.

The overall goal of the project is to support mothers and children. The trained midwives provide women of childbearing age with knowledge regarding hygiene as well as reproductive health and family planning issues. At the same time, women and infants have better access to medical care.

Target group

The project benefits the broader population in South Sudan, as the trained midwives return to their place of origin, if possible, and practice there. Others work in the refugee camp, where there is also a great need for trained midwives. The Presbyterian Church has hosted student midwives of various ethnicities from different regions of South Sudan.

Activities

• Theoretical and practical training of women to become state-certified midwives
• During the practical training period, infant immunization campaigns are carried out and expectant mothers and mothers in the postpartum period are accompanied. The midwives attend at least 50 births during the training.
• Purchase of teaching materials and work clothes
• Housing and meals for the students and teaching staff
• Establishment of an alumni network

Project progress

Since its inception, 99 women have successfully completed midwifery training. In December 2022, 24 students will take their final exams, followed by graduation. In February 2023, the new midwifery students will start at the newly built midwifery school in Juba. The opening of the school will also take place in February. Until then, the final work still needs to be done. Juba is strategically well located. There are enough hospitals for internships and a good networking opportunity with other organizations working in the field (ICRC, Doctors Without Borders, WHO etc). It has been shown in the past that midwives can best support when they train the so called community midwives in the rural areas with other organizations as named above.