Midwives, often considered the backbone of health systems, can have an enormous impact on improving the health of women and their children around the world. Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) joins the global community in celebrating the International Day of the Midwife.

Midwives improve health outcomes for mothers and newborns by encouraging healthy behaviors during pregnancy and after childbirth, assisting during delivery, and recognizing warning signs in time to refer women to emergency facilities. Midwives are often able to bring care to traditionally hard to reach women, such as those in rural areas or poor urban settlements. USAID works in 24 priority countries to train midwives to deliver high quality, respectful care during pregnancy and around childbirth. 

Meet some of the inspiring midwives we work with:

• In Afghanistan, Friba Hashimi is one of more than 2,000 midwives trained over the past decade through USAID-supported midwifery schools.
• Fatou Diouf, in Senegal, keeps pregnant women in her village healthy and ensures successful deliveries.
• In Indonesia, Tatik has helped bring more than 100 babies into the world and ensured the safety and health of their mothers.
  

Join USAID in celebrating midwives like Friba, Fatou, and Tatik, working to save maternal and newborn lives in communities across the globe. 

Learn more

• Read about USAID’s work in maternal health.
• Learn more about “Midwives and the Things They Carry” in this photo essay by USAID’s flagship Maternal and Child Survival Program.
• Check out USAID’s Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality: Maternal Health Vision for Action.
• Join @USAIDGH on Twitter and on Facebook using the hashtags #IDM2016 and #MidwivesMatter.