Waterbirth, Ina May, and Continued Success for Midwives in the Mid-East

Israeli and Palestinian midwives participating in COHI-facilitated professional conference in May, 2008

Since the first shared meeting between COHI's Israeli and Palestinian participant midwives was celebrated in May, they have had the chance to come together additional trainings. Barbara Harper, Founder and Director of Waterbirth International (www.waterbirth.org) generously donated her time to provide a shared workshop on a hot, arid afternoon in East Jerusalem. COHI's partner, Red Crescent Hospital, graciously offered space and refreshments enabling Barbara and her colleague, Dianne Garland, to provide an afternoon of discussion and information regarding waterbirth. A few weeks later, several participants from both groups had another chance to come together with international midwifery leader, advocate, and sometimes celebrity, Ina May Gaskins (www.thefarm.org). Ina May generously donated her time and expertise to spend a few hours with members at a shared meeting in Jerusalem. Thank you to Dianne, Ina May, and Barbara for supporting these dedicated midwives in their commitment to professional development and coexistence. We hope to see you all in the region again soon!

Israeli and Palestinian participants, COHI Executive Director Sera Bonds, and COHI volunteer Rachel Englander, May 2008

Two of COHI's participants in the midwifery project in the Mid-East, one Israeli and one Palestinian, received travel grants to attend a women's health conference in Europe this fall. They will present on their shared research initiative focusing on "Kangaroo Care," or skin-to-skin infant support. The goals of their shared project, which came together through COHI's efforts in the region, are as follows:

1. Convert knowledge to practice regarding skin-to-skin contact between newborns and their mothers;
2. Provide professional in-house training of doctors and nurses, in order to create environments to foster supportive policies for skin-to-skin practices;
3. Provide professional training of healthcare practitioners and childbirth educators involved in pre- and neonatal care, in order to support pregnant women and new mothers.

Aisha Saifi and Leslie Wolff, COHI Coexistence and Midwifery participants, with Sera Bonds at COHI fundraiser in Jerusalem (Photo credit: Ryan Davis)

The project will be implemented in both Israeli and Palestinian hospitals, focusing on the importance of breast-feeding after birth. Skin-to-skin is a "win–win" situation creating bonding and support for the "challenge" of breast-feeding. The midwives leading the effort, Aisha Saifi and Leslie Wolff, came together through their shared belief that peaceful births are a foundation for peaceful societies. To support their research, please contact COHI at info[a]cohintl.org.

COHI's work bringing together midwives in the mid-east was recently highlighted in an article in Midwifery Today magazine, and can be read in its entirety here.

Partnership Established in Sudan

COHI is proud to announce that we are in final negotiations for a partnership with Sudan Fertility Care Association, a local family planning organization in Sudan. COHI hopes to begin active programming in Sudan in late summer/early Fall 2008. Activities will focus on midwifery skills development for practitioners in Khartoum State. COHI seeks to engage women working as midwives in both the urban and rural areas of the vast area of Khartoum State, and would include many women who work in the IDP camps, in both "planned" and "unplanned" refugee areas. COHI hopes to include women from the rural areas up to 30 km outside of Khartoum in order to reach some of the more isolated women in the region.

Funding for this training is still being secured. If you'd like to contribute, please click here to donate.

Midwives in Action Photo-Documentary Project

Photo taken by Jessica Alderman as part of a photographic documentary on the healthcare system at Nakuru Provincial Hospital, Kenya

Jessica Alderman, COHI’s Volunteer Documentary Photographer, is currently looking for support to raise $20,000 for a documentary project to support a global initiative to improve maternal and child mortality outcomes in developing nations. Jessica will be working with COHI over the next year to help raise awareness about our mission to improve, on a grassroots level, healthcare and human rights for women around the globe, primarily in areas plagued by political conflict and natural disaster. If you know of any individuals, corporations or organizations who would be potential donors, if you personally would like to contribute to this cause, or if you’d like more information about this project, please contact Jessica at alderman.jessica[at]gmail.com.

Donations may be made by visiting the Circle of Health International website here and specifying the Photo Documentary Project. If you are interested in corporate sponsorship contact COHI’s Administrator, Jasper Webb at jasper[at]cohintl.org.

You have the power to help us make a difference in the lives of these women
whose futures and whose childrens’ futures are at stake.

Earthquake Relief in Chengdu, China

COHI is seeking financial partners for a program to support women's health providers in addressing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in women of reproductive age affected by the “Great Sichuan Earthquake of 2008" in Chengdu, China. COHI is uniquely positioned to respond to the specific women’s health needs of this affected region due to its long-term development successes with similar populations through its childbirth attendant training in the Nagchu region of Tibet, and its efforts in Louisiana and Sri Lanka focused on women and trauma.

Traditional Chengdu midwives and participants in past COHI programming

Evidence shows that women who survive traumatic events such as a natural disaster and the loss of children, family members, and home are more susceptible to PTSD. Such clinical manifestations of trauma can lead to dangerously high rates of maternal and infant morbidity, depression, disability, mortality, and sometimes suicide. As a result of the devastating earthquake in the Sichuan region, over 65,000 people lost their lives, and over 5 million are now homeless. Women’s reproductive health needs are often left out of the emergency and reconstruction plans. At any point in time, 20% of women in these affected communities are of reproductive age.

As per a request from the Chinese government, many families are now in the process of planning for the conception and birth of another child to “replace” their loss. This will result in a massive “birth wave” in nine to eleven months. This increase in births, coupled with increased rates of PTSD not only in women, but in their husbands, family members, and communities, is an aspect of care that desperately needs to be addressed.

In order to support the courageous survivors of the earthquake in the Chengdu area, COHI is requesting a total of $250,000 USD to support 12 to 16 months of sustained relief activities targeting women and women’s health professionals. To donate to this upcoming initiative, please click here.

Terri Patrice-Clark, COHI Board of Directors member, wins American College of Nurse-Midwives Fellowship

Terri Patrice-Clark

Please join COHI in celebrating a member of our Board of Directors, Terri Patrice-Clark. Terri was recently inducted into the Fellowship of the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) in recognition of her leadership and extensive commitment to the midwifery profession. To read more about Terri's successes, click here (PDF). We are so thankful to have Terri and other impressive professionals like her living their commitment to midwifery, women, and health, on COHI’s Board of Directors. Congratulations, Terri, and thank you for all that you do!