Svenska PostkodStiftelsen

Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SAK) reduces child and maternal mortality in Afghanistan

In Afghanistan the lack of educated midwives is acute; hence nine out of ten women give birth without professional help. Additionally, many women are very young and give birth to a large number of children with the result that no less than 23 000 women die in childbirth every year! That is equal to one woman every half hour and makes Afghanistan the country with the highest maternal mortality in the world.

To increase the number of trained personnel in the country the Swedish Postcode Foundation supports SAK’s midwifery education. SAK has extensive experience regarding health issues in Afghanistan and has run successful midwifery training programs in the country for many years. The Postcode Foundation supports a two-year education programme in the region of Wardak, a troubled province southwest of Kabul. The support from the Foundation covers education, student literature, food and lodging for 24 students. After graduation the students to return to their home villages to work as midwives.

Read more about Swedish Committee for Afghanistan’s work on www.swedishcommittee.org.