GRC in coordination with leading Local community based nongovernmental organizations currently developing a project to educate Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs/untrained Midwives)  to reduce maternal and newborn mortality rates in Afghanistan.

This community health education program is designed to help Afghan pregnant mothers in dire need of medical assistance to prevent an increasing number of maternal and neonatal mortalities. This intervention is extremely important at this critical time in Afghanistan, where only a very few international agencies/professionals have come forward to help the communities in need, given security, lack of international agency support for healthcare and essential services and other concerns.

The pilot project to be implemented in Kabul, Afghanistan intends to  build  knowledge, skills, and capabilities  of  traditional birth attendants  in delivering proper care for pregnant mothers and newborn infants  for safer deliveries, and to prevent maternal and neonatal mortalities. The untrained traditional birth attendants or elderly experienced female family/community members who assist pregnant mothers in childbirths will be given necessary knowledge and skills and resources (tool kits, caregiver handbooks and reporting formats), and the community leaders will be sensitized  to change their attitudes about government sponsored healthcare services to increase hospital admissions for deliveries.  All sensitization awareness  programs are designed using an adult training methodology popularly known as “ Reflect” which has proven effective in educating people with low educational achievements in community empowerment. All education materials of the program will be developed using international best tools, customized to suit the Afghan Islamic population.

With the lessons learned and the best practices of this project, GRC Canada intends to help people living in similar  situations across the world to find solutions and to improve current disaster management systems and procedures in public healthcare services during complex emergencies.