• Funded By : GIZ
• Province : Bamyan
• 2024-01-01 - 2025-12-31

Development of Mobile Midwifery Specialization and Provision of Mobile Midwifery Services

Project description:
In many regions of Afghanistan, women and girls lack access to healthcare services and face significant challenges. One of the biggest challenges is the lack of access to adequate healthcare services and the absence of medical staff in these areas, which puts pregnant mothers at risk of mortality. These issues have negative effects on the health of mothers, newborns, and young girls.
One of the key needs for women and newborns is access to quality healthcare services, particularly maternal health services. This includes access to skilled midwives, emergency women's and childbirth care, and postnatal care. However, many women cannot access these services due to geographic, financial, or cultural barriers.
Adolescent girls also face major difficulties in accessing healthcare services. Many girls lack access to maternal health services, including childbirth assistance and sexual health education.
The AABRAR Organization, with financial support from GIZ, has designed a project to address these issues. The project aims to provide professional midwifery services to women, especially mothers who are predominantly impoverished and unable to travel to distant centers for prenatal and delivery care. Instead, they will receive these services locally in their communities.
This project will be implemented across all districts of Bamyan province for a period of two years, from the beginning of 2024 to the end of 2025.
Main Objectives of the Project:
1.    Providing Prenatal Care: Offer prenatal services for pregnant women.
2.    Providing Postnatal Care: Provide postnatal services.
3.    Newborn Examination: Examine newborns.
4.    Adolescent Health Counseling: Advise young girls on menstrual hygiene and personal cleanliness.
5.    Pregnancy Counseling: Provide guidance to pregnant women on nutrition during pregnancy, post-pregnancy care, benefits of breastfeeding, pregnancy complications, and family planning.
6.    Pre-Conception Counseling: Advise newly married women who wish to become mothers.
7.    Community Education: Educate men in the community on how to support pregnant women and facilitate their transportation to healthcare clinics during childbirth.
Beneficiaries of the Project:
•    Pregnant Women, Mothers, and Young Girls: 41,000 persons
•    Newborns: 20,000 infants
•    Adult Males and Men: 110,000 persons

Expected Results:
By the end of the project, the following outcomes are anticipated:
•    Improved Skills and Knowledge: Enhanced professional knowledge and skills of midwives.
•    Better Health Outcomes: Improved health of mothers and newborns.
•    Enhanced Adolescent Health: Better health quality for young girls and improved personal hygiene practices.
•    Increased Awareness: Greater public awareness of personal and community health.
•    Reduced Mortality Rates: Decreased maternal, pregnant women, and newborn mortality rates.
•    Strengthened Health System: Improved healthcare system through the establishment of networks between communities and healthcare clinics.
•    Service Reach:
o    41,000 young girls, mothers, and pregnant women benefiting from mobile midwifery teams.
o    20,000 newborns receiving care from mobile midwifery teams.
o    110,000 adult males and men benefiting from public health awareness provided by midwifery assistant teams.
Achievements:
From the start of the project until the end of August 2024, the following accomplishments have been achieved:
1.    Hiring: 22 midwives and 22 midwifery assistants employed.
2.    Training: Conducted a two-day refresher training for midwives.
3.    Orientation: Held an orientation session to introduce the program to midwives and their assistants.
4.    Official inauguration: The program was officially inaugurated by the respected head of the AABRAR Organization, a delegation from Kabul, relevant sector representatives, and provincial staff.

Midwifery services districts: 
Midwifery services will be provided in the following districts of Bamyan province: Center, Shibar, Kahmard, Saighan, Yakawlang 1, Yakawlang 2, Waras, and Panjab. And the achievements are as below:
ANC services: 962
PNC Services: 650
New burn services: 427
Counselling services for young girls: 6405
Public health awareness for men: 8712
Referral cases to clinics: 112
Total services of women, men, young girls and new burn: 17156