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Story and Perspective

Every Day is Mother’s Day at Pathfinder

Burkina Faso Nigeria

We envision a world without preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths. A world where all parents and children have positive experiences before, during, and after pregnancy and childbirth, with outcomes that allow them all to reach their full potential for health and wellbeing. Our work bridges the distance between pregnant women and the health care they need. 

Read more about our reach to first-time mothers through our groundbreaking Evidence to Action (E2A) project in Nigeria, our Tubiteho project’s second year in Burundi, and the critical role that midwives play in continuing crucial care to mothers during the pandemic. 

Celebrating New Moms on Mother’s Day

Queen Esther Peters and her family. Photo: Seun Asala

I learned so many things. I learned about exclusive breastfeeding… about my health as a mother… about caring for my baby.

Queen Esther Peters, Participant of the Saving Mothers, Giving Life (SMGL) Program, Cross River State, Nigeria 

In honor of Mother’s Day, we celebrate the many young women whose lives have improved through our programs for first-time mothers – including those led by our Evidence to Action (E2A) project. E2A reached first-time mothers across multiple countries, including Nigeria, with interventions tailored to young mothers’ needs. Learn more about E2A’s work in Cross River State, Nigeria >> 

Let’s Take Care of Them: Tubiteho’s Second Year

Egide Mugarura, Odette Manayatwese, and their daughter Dressa Ingabire. Photo: Sala Lewis

Tubiteho accelerates the delivery and uptake of family planning; maternal; newborn; child and adolescent health; nutrition; malaria; and gender-based violence prevention (GBV) and treatment services across six provinces in Burundi. In its second year: 

  • 1900 people were reached through theater groups to increase community awareness on malaria. 
  • 5 six-day training sessions were conducted on emergency obstetric and neonatal care for 76 health providers. 
  • 2,410 community health workers were trained on properly completing and using the vaccination follow-up register. 
  • 200 community health workers were trained on the provision of DMPA-SC (Sayana Press) at the community level. 

Read more about the Tubiteho project and its first year in Burundi >> 

Honoring Midwives and their Work Helping Moms, and Everyone Else

Midwives are essential to ensuring all women and girls have access to sexual and reproductive health services. In fact, investing in midwives is one of the most cost-effective ways to achieve reproductive freedom for women and all who give birth. According to a recent report from the United Nations Population Fund, “fully educated, licensed and integrated midwives supported by interdisciplinary teams can deliver about 90% of the essential sexual, reproductive maternal, newborn and adolescent health care interventions across the life course.” Learn more about the role midwives have played in continuing crucial healthcare services during the pandemic >> 

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