At present, there’s a global shortage of midwives which is stunting the progression toward the achievement of MDG 5 - reports estimate the need for 350,000 more midwives worldwide.

Cambodia is one country that knows too well the implications of limited midwives. Over the past decade, The World Bank has reported an increase in maternal deaths, with more than 540 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2005.

Maternal health is particularly at threat in rural areas, where long and difficult journeys make it hard for women to reach hospitals. This not only has implications on the birthing stages – only 68% of women have access to a skilled attendant -  but also the antenatal care, with only 69% of women receiving care during pregnancy.

Childreach International is working together with project partner, LifeOptions Inc, improving maternal and child health in the Takeo province, Cambodia.

The problems at hand

Working alongside Takeo Provincial Health Department, LifeOptions is supporting a health centre and rural outreach mobile clinics in an attempt to tackle three prevalent problems affecting women and infant’s maternal health.

1. 1.Families not seeking out appropriate treatment for women due to lack of family planning and     birthing education.
2. 2. Ability to reach a health clinic due to distance or cost of travel
3. 3. Lack of skilled birth attendants at health clinics

First, to combat these problems, the health centre that Childreach International is supporting is training midwives using international best practice combined with local knowledge tailored to improving maternal and child health in the Takeo area. This is ensuring women receive the best treatment during child birth when risks to the mother and infants lives' are particularly high.

Secondly, the outreach work and mobile clinics are actively engaging rural villages to raise awareness about family planning and life skills development so that families can support pregnant women, and mothers can safely support their children long after their birth – in Cambodia, more than 40,000 children die each year before their fifth birthday – about 110 children every day – mostly from preventable causes (UNDP).

Skilled antenatal & post birth care = healthy child + healthy mother to nurture that child

Chong Nai Hy, a midwife deep in the rural communities

Chong Nai Hy, a midwife with our project partner, LifeOptions Inc, is working in Takeo province, providing effective antenatal and post birth care for mothers and infants. Her work will save lives.

In April, a young women came to the clinic - she was in labour and had dangerously high blood pressure.

“A women came to the health centre at five am to have a baby. We had never seen her before for pre-natal checking. She had very high blood pressure. She didn’t have enough money to travel to the hospital and no vehicle to take her so we treated her here at the health centre”

“She had the baby but she still had high blood pressure. We visited her for four days after until she was healthy again”

“It is important mothers do not die so they can look after their children, I will go to the village to teach them about the dangerous signs”.

Today, we celebrate incredible women like Chong Nai Hy, whose vital work saves the lives of countless mothers and children every year.

This International Day of the Midwife, work with Childreach International and LifeOptions Inc to continue working with rural Cambodian communities, empowering women and their children and improving the maternal health of generations to come.

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