Midwives For Haiti educates Haitian women in providing prenatal care and skilled birth assistance to their fellow Haitian sisters, who too frequently die in childbirth without such care. Our students are precepted by volunteer midwives from North America and Europe. The earthquake in January 2010 devastated parts of this beloved country and her people --- and made the work of Midwives For Haiti even more necessary. Please support our efforts by:
- volunteering midwifery and clinical skills
- donating medicine and medical supplies always needed
- giving money toward the employ of our Haitian midwives
- learning about our mission and the people of Haiti.
In Haiti, 76% of all deliveries are done by non-qualified persons, contributing to the highest infant and maternal mortality in the western hemisphere. 15% of newborns have low birth weight and 25% of the children suffer from chronic malnutrition. The World Health Organization has estimated that the things professional midwives know how to do - preventative prenatal care, handling complications of pregnancy and birth, and teaching nutrition –could totally change these statistics.
Midwives for Haiti was started by certified nurse-midwives who believe every woman in this world deserves the knowledge and care to have a safe pregnancy and birth. We also believe that even women who cannot read or write are teachable. With the right knowledge and tools, community women can make birth safer and keep babies and mothers from dying. We want to bridge the gap between the traditional birth attendants and the nurse-midwives trained in the medical model so that more women in Haiti have access to skilled care. We are training skilled birth attendants who meet the core abilities as defined by the World Health Organization and the International Confederation of Midwives. Join us as we travel this journey “with woman”.
