member activities

Delivering change in Afghanistan: Fauzia's story

When Fauzia first became pregnant during the Taliban period in Afghanistan she had to walk two days through the mountains to reach the nearest provincial hospital that could help treat her high blood pressure. She gave birth to her first three children at home with only an untrained birth attendant by her side. It was her own experiences that prompted Fauzia, now 29, to help other women in her situation.

photo ©Merlin

"I wished to become a midwife, to help other women, so that they would not have the experience the same difficulties as me," she says.

Today, Fauzia is one of the first midwives to graduate from Merlin's Community Midwife Education (CME) programme in the remote Takhar Province of Afghanistan. Originally from the capital Kabul, Fauzia moved to the mountainous province of Takhar when she married her husband, a religious leader. The students come from some of the most remote areas of Takhar and Baghlan Provinces and go back to work there, once they have qualified.

During the selection process to choose the students for the first midwife programme, community members put Fauzia forward as a candidate. She had the full support of her husband and rest of the family to start the training - although in general the programme found it difficult to gain community acceptance for the training of women, particularly from religious leaders. Fauzia was an extremely diligent and hard-working student throughout the programme, which ran for 18 months from October 2004 to April 2006. She passed the training successfully and is one of 21 students (out of an original 22) who graduated from Merlin's programme and found placements as midwives.

When she first started her work in Farkhar District Hospital in May 2006, Fauzia felt frightened to be alone with so much responsibility. But the training had prepared her well: "It feels all the time that my trainers are still looking over my shoulders [at] what I am doing, which gives me confidence."

For the first two months, Fauzia was the only midwife in the district hospital, the same hospital that had been unable to offer her any support when she was pregnant. After a few months, another qualified midwife joined Fauzia in her work. Together, they care for the many women and children of Farkhar district. Fauzia reports that, since she started her work, the number of babies delivered in hospitals has increased significantly. She carries out health education sessions with local women, to encourage them to come to the district hospital to give birth.

She also organises a monthly meeting with the female Community Health Workers (CHWs) and some of the practising, but untrained, Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) to discuss their activities, especially their referrals to the district hospital. In this way, she is helping to reduce the very high levels of maternal mortality in the region.

Since she graduated, Fauzia has delivered 65 babies in the hospital and three at home. She had dealt with all sorts of complications, from breech births to twin deliveries, and the treatment of women with pre-eclampsia.

"I am so happy to eventually have become a midwife, and now offer the women from my community a service, which can prevent them from dying unnecessarily," she says.

As Afghanistan still has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world - 1,600 women die for every 100,000 live births - the road is still long. But with the introduction of Merlin's midwife programmes across the country, women's chances for survival have now become a reality.

Merlin's country programme team compiled a detailed report about the first midwife training programme, which is available to download at www.merlin.org.uk

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Bridgwater Reggae Soundsystem proudly presents worldwide support for White Ribbon Alliance!

Raising funds and awareness through music, the mighty Bridgwater Reggae Soundsystem (BRSS) has grown from a small monthly club night in Somerset into an eagerly anticipated musical event, attracting supporters from all over the UK and beyond. 

And wherever the sound system goes - so too does the White Ribbon Alliance! For this dedicated group of (mostly) young people have adopted WRA as their principal cause.  

Founded in the small town of Bridgwater in 2006 by veteran DJ John Shearlaw (Mighty Mighty J) and his son, Arthur Shearlaw, the ranks of the collective have now expanded to include an impressive roster of DJs, MCs and musicians, as well as an essemble of speakers, decks and related equipment. 

But it's not just about the music. Since April 2007, when they played at the closing party for a health conference in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Bridgwater Reggae Soundsystem has been collecting donations for WRA, showing films made by WRA, as well as passing on the aims and objectives of WRA to an all-important young audience. 

Later this month, Arthur Shearlaw - currently DJing in Goa, India - will be visiting the WRA office in Orissa, India, along with fellow BRSS members, photographer Gordon Stavins and sound engineer Tai McVeigh, to pass on what we hope will be the first of many sizeable contributions to the operation there. 

Also this month, John Shearlaw will be returning to Dar es Salaam for ongoing work with the Tanzanian 'Capacity For Change' film project, a trip partly made possible by a special BRSS live fundraising event in Somerset featuring the Bristol-based band Mankala (www.mankalabeat.com). 

Meanwhile the reggae nights - and the fun, and the fundraising - continue in Somerset, and beyond. The White Ribbon Alliance banner now flies on the last Saturday of every month at the famous 93 Feet East club in London's Brick Lane, with BRSS partners Deviate, while BRSS will continue packing them in in Glastonbury, Bristol and Bridgwater.

Special thanks to Judd Selecta, Dub Quercus and 'In Dub We Trust'. Contact BRSS at www.myspace.com/bridgwaterreggaesoundsystem