The maternal mortality rate in Ethiopia is estimated to be 353 per 100,000 live births (WHO, 2017). It is one of the highest in the world. The main causes of maternal death are obstructed labour, eclampsia and pre eclampsia, sepsis and infection, and hemorrhage.

Midiwives@ethiopia are committed to working in partnership towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Through focussed training and education as well as supporting the development of exemplar health centres in rural areas, m@e are proud to recognise their impact on SDG3 good health and well-being, SDG4 good quality education, SDG5 gender equality, SDG6 clean water and sanitation, SDG10 reducing inequalities, SDG11 sustainable communities and SDG17 partnership for the goals.

Our ethos is to help midwifery tutors and midwives in Ethiopia develop training packages to improve maternity care, to deliver key teaching skills, to develop emergency clinical skills and to assist in the ongoing training of midwives and health extension workers. Midwives@ethiopia also support rural health centres to develop standards with a focus on safe birth and respectful maternity care.

We are a group of midwives based across the UK with experience of delivering training packages to midwifery tutors, midwives and health extension workers in Southern Ethiopia, through developing strong, lasting links with Ethiopian colleagues.

What We Do

We provide on-site training for midwifery tutors, midwives and health extension workers in Southern Ethiopia.

We develop links and communication with Ethiopian colleagues in regional health offices, hospitals and health centres.

We are committed to fund raising so that the support we offer is ongoing.

We are raising funds to provide delivery packs for Health Extension Workers to assist them in providing ‘Clean and Safe’ deliveries.

We passionately support the Ethiopian Midwives Association in our joint vision of providing onsite training for health care providers in rural areas. As well as supporting advocacy and addressing accountability in hospital settings.

Midwives@ethiopia deliver effective, evidence based training courses to midwife tutors and midwives in Southern Ethiopia. Trustees and guests travel to Ethiopia twice a year to provide onsite training with our partners. The courses include emergency skills training and teaching methods, as a huge emphasis is placed on sharing skills and knowledge. The course intends to complement the current Government led midwifery training and introduce simple effective teaching aids that midwives can use in their work settings.

We also deliver training to Health Extension Workers (HEWs). Maternal health has improved greatly over the last decade in Ethiopia due to the government led introduction of Health Extension Workers. HEWs are usually nominated by their community (and therefore trusted and well respected) and are based in a simple Health Post in very rural areas. Their role is vast and covers health promotion, vaccines, family planning and all aspects of maternal health. Midwives@ethiopia train 400-600 HEWs a year offering intense two day training programmes covering clean and safe delivery, referal to health centres and helping families prepare for birth.

Midwives@ethiopia aim to deliver free, research based, culturaly respectful and appropriate training courses in rural areas to improve maternal health and neonatal outcomes.

Midwives@ethiopia are committed to fundraising to provide safe delivery kits to all the Health Extension Workers (HEWs) attending our training courses. HEWs are expected to pay for (and replace) any delivery items they use. Although they encourage families to prepare for the birth by saving money to buy basic delivery items, the majority of families are unable to afford it. Therefore, charity funds are used to buy basic items locally in Southern Ethiopia and kits are assembled.

Items include

Two bars of soap

A bowl with a lid to wash hands and also to store items

Plastic sheeting to promote a clean birth area (that can be cleaned between births)

Gloves

Clean string (to tie the baby’s unbilical cord)

A razor blade (to cut the cord)

Misoprostil *

* Misoprostil is a drug that can be taken orally if a mother is bleeding heavily following a birth. Numerous charities worldwide are committed to providing misoprostil for HEWs to use, however early evaluations have shown that many HEWs are not aware it is available or are not gaining access to the drug so midwives@ethiopia assist in the distribution by providing it in safe delivery kits.

Midwives@ethiopia use a variety of teaching aids to encourage memorable and interesting training sessions.

Birthing trousers

Knitted uteri

Knitted breasts

Doll and pelvis

Resuscitation dolls

DVDs

Pictures and training cards

Workbooks

TALC dolls

Donations are used to develop picture cards and buy helpful training tools. We are grateful for many people throughtout the UK knitting uteri and breasts for us to use in our training and to donate to our colleagues in Ethiopia to encourage them to share practical skills and knowledge.

Midwives@ethiopia are committed to working closely with our partners in Ethiopia to ensure that the training courses we provide are useful, appropriate, culturally respectful and research based. With training and ongoing support from Wales For Africa Community Links we have developed a comprehensive policy for monitoring and evaluating the work we do.

Example donations:

£5 will provide a mother with a postnatal kit following the birth of her child.

£2 will provide a mother with a vitally important reusable and washable sanitary pad.

We thank you for any donations made which will help with ongoing work the charity and providing both the delivery and postnatal kits.