Midwives of Estonia and Afganistan save lives together

In the beginning of October Tallinn Health Care College and Mondo started their another web-based in-service training in Afghanistan. Today they've reached to the second phase of the training during which the lecturers will talk about the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by midwives in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic and safe care for pregnant women with suspected/confirmed COVID-19. 

There are 30 already working or still learning midwives, who take part in the training. Projects lasts for seven months in total.

The availability of midwifery services in Afghanistan is extremely uneven across regions, with only cities and hospitals in the center. In this light, the training of midwives in rural areas is crucial. The aim of the training is to increase the competencies of Afghan midwives as community health promoters, to help the local population better cope with and prevent health crises. The participants in the training are in turn divided into two, some of whom will give health education lectures to schoolgirls, the other half will offer health consultations to the local population on the advisory line to be set up. 

Due to Silja Mets-Oja, the head of the health education center of Tallinn Health Care College, the planning of every training is a great honor and also an exciting challenge. "Over the past four years, we have learned the importance of noticing and understanding the concerns of Afghan midwives about the health of women in their community. From this perspective, during the training, we try to find the best solutions with the participants, how they can support the health of women in the community and what they have to do. I believe that most midwives, who have been trained in previous years, have gained more knowledge and confidence in advising women with health issues."