Despite improvements in recent years, Yemen still has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the region, at 183 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, according to a recent report by the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA).
Research, the report added, shows that midwives could avert around two thirds of all maternal and newborn deaths and stillbirths globally, and deliver some 90 per cent of all essential sexual, reproductive, maternal and newborn health services.
Yet the profession has for too long been marginalized within health systems, an imbalance UNFPA is working to rectify by investing in midwifery training and deployment to reach more women and save more lives, quickly and at scale.
Last year, the UNFPA report mentioned, over 440,000 women benefited from the midwifery training programs, of whom more than 50,000 had safe home deliveries with community midwives UNFPA Yemen
By the end of 2024, 139 midwives had graduated from the UNFPA - supported institutes and were sent to areas most in need – an initiative that is not only saving lives, but empowering women and contributing to healthier communities.