Hundreds more midwives trained in Malawi as part of the continuation of the 10,000 Happy Birthdays project
The 10,000 Happy Birthdays project, which began in 2014 continues in Malawi, training hundreds more midwives throughout 2024 thanks to a host of partners, including Rotary International and the Government of Malawi.
Malawi has one of the highest maternal mortality rates globally, with 381 deaths per 100,000 births (UNICEF, 2023/24). The country also struggles with a high burden on newborn mortality, at 18.7 deaths per 1000 live births (HNN, 2022). Many of these deaths are preventable and well- trained midwives are vital to help save more lives of mothers and newborns. That’s why the 10,000 Happy Birthdays project was developed to upskill healthcare providers, utilizing the Helping Mothers and Babies Survive training programs.
The continuation of the 10,000 Happy Birthdays project throughout 2024 is taking place in two regions in Malawi, Lilongwe and Mzimba. Over 20 training sessions have or are planned to take place, with the aim of equipping midwives with essential skills and knowledge to prevent, identify and manage leading causes of maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity. Each session includes 20 participants with at least 5 trainers present in each, giving a high trainer to participant ratio.
Image: Mother Caroline, experienced a post-partum hemmorhage, but thanks to her midwives being part of the 10,000 Happy Birthdays program, she survived.
To enhance learning outcomes further, MamaNatalie and MamaBirthie simulators are providing important hands-on training opportunities for healthcare personnel – and have been distributed to the health facilities in which the participants work. The aim is to encourage continued on-site practice after the initial trainings have concluded. Thesesimulators were distributed to increase the impact of this project as part of Laerdal’s Buy One, Gift One program.
In our context one of the challenges we face is that most women do not attend the antenatal visits. This makes it hard to identify early if they have any challenging conditions that may contribute to a higher risk of maternal or newborn mortality. This means as midwives we need to be ready to deal with life-threatening situations on the day of birth. Finding time to train has been a challenge, because of how busy we are as midwives. Assigning dedicated time for this training session – and understanding how important it is to continue hands-on practice at our places of work, has made me feel more confident when approaching clinical emergencies. In particular, team scenario trainings have really helped. I have learned that in a hospital setting we don’t work as individuals, but instead as team. The simulation trainings have resulted in better communication and collaborative working. This is transferring to providing better quality care to the mothers and babies we care for
Partners involved in the continued implementation in Malawi in 2024, include: Rotary International, Ministry of Health Malawi, Association of Malawian Midwives (AMAMI), International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), Reproductive Health Directorate and the local governments of Lilongwe and Mzimba.
To learn more about the background of the project, click here.