Text by Sam MednickAn integral part of the Strengthening Midwifery Services Project is the development of South Sudan’s human resources for health to fill the gap in shortage of health personnel across the country. The goal is to increase capacity and knowledge on maternal health care and, ultimately, to prevent maternal deaths. Unique to the project is the training on task shifting, which is meant to bridge the gap between the lack of specialized health workers in the country and the number of people in need of assistance. Under this initiative, Clinical Officers are trained to perform emergency surgeries such as C-section deliveries. “The idea is to develop people who already had the training and upgrade their skills to perform emergency obstetric tasks,” says Dr. Frederik Khamis, Dean of the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Juba. Dr. Khamis says that although competition is stiff, women have an advantage.