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Training Midwife Assistants with the Ghana Health Service

February 6, 2018

The Hunger Project-Ghana is partnering with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to train Community Health Nurses (CHN) as midwife assistants to address the shortage of midwives at Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds in three regions across the country.

Supporting rural women and young children is crucial to The Hunger Project’s work, and ensuring safe and adequate maternal care is at the top of our priorities. Ghana’s maternal mortality rate is among the worst in the world, with an average of 300-500 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to 2015 UN data. The shortage of midwives and health services puts pregnant women and their children at heightened risk of delivery complications and mortality.

As part of The Hunger Project’s holistic, women-centered, community-led development methodology, this project supports work in 15 districts across three regions in Ghana – Eastern, Volta and Central – with funding from the Else-Kronner-Fresenius Foundation over the next two years. Communities will work to improve maternal health by providing 24-hour maternal and child care services in sub-districts to address the shortage of midwives.

Across The Hunger Project’s epicenters in Ghana, community health committees assist in the operation of health clinics, which include pre- and post-natal care services. The health clinics are an integral component of our overall Epicenter Strategy across Africa. During the first three quarters of 2017, over 2,300 women accessed prenatal care at one of our health clinics. More than 11,000 people accessed health services of any kind at one of our clinics.

To learn more about this initiative, see related press coverage here and here.