Coexistence, Midwives & Peace in the Middle East: Delivering Partnership & Understanding

This women's health project focuses on bringing together midwives from both sides of the Israeli and Palestinian conflict to share their commitment to their profession and to peace. Activities include:*

• Designing professional standards of practice for both Israeli and Palestinian midwives, incorporating the midwifery model of care and international best practices.
• Providing opportunities to expand midwife skill through shared trainings on professional development and public education on midwifery as a profession and practice.
• Promoting separate professional associations for midwives within Israel and Palestine, as well as a shared association for Israeli and Palestinian midwives.
• Drafting a strategy to lobby the Israeli Ministry of Health for Palestinian midwives to practice within Israel.
• Facilitating a dialogue among the parties involved in this conflict to work towards peaceful coexistence.

* COHI field staff are currently on the ground in the region exploring future gender-based violence programming.

Project Update, March 2009

Growing populations of refugees and asylum seekers from African countries such as Sudan and Eritrea have been arriving in large numbers in Israel over the past few years. Most of the refugees enter Israel through the Sinai desert, which connects the eastern border of Egypt with the south of Israel. After the long and wearying journey, they arrive in Israel and face the difficulties of life as refugees.

While some of the people seeking refuge find work and support themselves, some are not able to do so. Many of the refugees do not have medical insurance and are not eligible for the Israeli medical system. In the case of women, pregnancies and childbirth occur in spite of these various challenges, and this is where COHI gets involved.

Midwives who volunteer with COHI are taking part in a project in Arad, a small town in southern Israel, and in a women’s shelter in northern Israel. The project seeks to empower and support pregnant refugee women throughout the birthing process. COHI’s new project is described by the Arad group organizer, Rochel Englander, in her first update as follows:

"On Saturday we had our first birth in the COHI/Hillel Sudanese refugee project. The mother and baby are thankfully both doing well.  Two more mothers are due in the coming month. COHI and Hillel are partnering to support expecting mothers in the community through pre/post-natal care classes, birth accompaniment at "Soroka" Hospital and health advocacy.  The pre/post natal care classes are held two times a month.  At the first meeting approximately 15 women attended, three of whom were pregnant. A number of women came to discuss reproductive health issues (e.g. miscarriages, infertility etc.) These women shared their stories and discussed previous birth experiences. Hilary Kirshenbaum [a midwife and COHI volunteer] had come prepared with medical equipment and was able to offer the expecting women a check-up".
 
In order to prepare the volunteers for their work with post-traumatic women, the COHI group was invited to a workshop in Jerusalem with Jina Ross, President and Founder of International Trauma-Healing Institute in the USA.

Volunteers had the opportunity to become acquainted with the Somatic Experiencing (SE) method, which is used to help cope with traumatic events. The work is aimed at recharging the energy that accumulates in the body during trauma. By using this method, the participants can help themselves as well as the people they work with to feel better and even offer first aid to be continued by the healing vortex.

Feedback from Infant Resuscitation Training Newsletter

"Bravo!

This is true midwifery spirit. We have to serve women wherever they are and whoever they are. I admire your courage because I can imagine what an initiative like this can entail in the part of the globe where you are trying to light a candle.

Please keep up the good work. You have given us hope that all is not lost.

The midwives of Pakistan join me in wishing you all the best."

Imtiaz Kamal
President, Midwifery Association of Pakistan