UNTANGLING A WEB OF HEALTH ISSUES TO AVERT MATERNAL DEATHS
South Sudan has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world. In 2006, the Sudan Household Survey showed that for every 100,000 live births, 2,054 South Sudanese women die. Not only is this tragic for the thousands of children who grow up without a mother, but it’s also threatening the development and stability of an entire generation. The world’s youngest country gained independence in 2011. Not long after, in 2013, the country erupted in fighting, and, for more than three years, restoring peace remains elusive. Thousands of people have died, and almost two million have been internally displaced.
MIDWIVES: BRINGING HEALTH SERVICES CLOSER TO THE PEOPLE
In the first four years since its inception, the Strengthening Midwifery Services Project has made some groundbreaking achievements through the work of key partners the Ministry of Health, UNFPA and the governments of Canada and Sweden.
CHANGE BEGINS WITH LEARNING
The midwifery scholarship is one of the signature drivers for the Strengthening Midwifery Services Project. Before project implementation in 2012, South Sudan had roughly 10 midwives who had skills that could pass international standards, serving the country of approximately 11 million people.
FEAR OF DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL
Nyomon Lilian will never forget the day she decided to become a midwife. “Watching my neighbor die during childbirth emboldened me to make the decision to enroll in midwifery,” says the 25-year-old. “The woman assisting her had no knowledge of what to do.”
REINING IN THE NEXT GENERATION OF HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
An 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...
THE POWER OF SHARED LEARNING
“I want to be a leader in my field,” says Repent Khamis. Sitting at his desk in the Juba College of Nursing and Midwifery (JCONAM), the 40-year-old South Sudanese nursing and midwifery tutor says he wants to influence people so they can realize their potential...
RESTORING HOPE THROUGH LIFE-SAVING SERVICES
In an attempt to not only impact but also empower the lives of women in South Sudan, the breadth of the programs developed by the Strengthening Midwifery Services Project is intentionally widespread. All the initiatives place a strong emphasis on gender equality and empowerment, with services included to provide easier access as well as further control for women, when it comes to taking charge of their health and, ultimately, their lives...
A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE
Martha has had seven previous pregnancies so she thought delivering her eighth would be another walk in the park for her. She would usually give birth in her village assisted by a traditional birth attendant (TBA)...
BREAKING THE MENACE THAT CONTRIBUTES TO MATERNAL DEATHS
“Gender inequality in South Sudan is the source of many of the problems that lead to maternal mortality,” says Karin Westerberg, Advisor for Health and SRHR at Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). “If the project doesn’t consider these facts, it’s unlikely that it will achieve its goal.”
A SAFE SPACE FOR GBV SURVIVORS
Sipping shyly on her bottle of soda, Lucy* doesn’t say much. In fact the 10-year-old has kept mostly silent since January, when she was brutally gang raped by four teenage boys in Wau’s Protection of Civilians (POC) site, which hosts internally displaced persons.