A dedicated community midwife is transforming maternal health in a Yemeni village, providing critical care and fostering a cycle of trust.
📍 Yemen, Al Sha’ab village in Al Dhale’e Governorate
Saba Saleh’s story begins in Al Sha’ab, a remote village within the Al Dhale’e Governorate, where she serves as the sole trained healthcare provider. Initially driven by a desire to become a doctor, Saba realized that her passion could be channeled into directly addressing the urgent needs of her community. Recognizing the severe lack of access to maternal and newborn care, she bravely took the initiative to establish a small clinic within her own home, supported by the invaluable assistance of UNFPA and the Field Medication Foundation. This innovative approach filled a vital gap, offering essential services ranging from antenatal checkups and safe deliveries to crucial postnatal care and vital health education.
Saba’s home-based clinic reflects her own experience as a mother of two, a reality she expertly balances with her unwavering commitment to her community. With her husband often away on work, she’s developed a resilient model, responding to emergencies day or night, providing comfort and reassurance to women in labor, and ensuring the well-being of her patients' children. Her actions speak volumes, as exemplified by the night she responded swiftly to a woman’s collapse due to hypoglycemia, or her personal dedication to a child suffering from cholera, accompanying him to a health center for three days until recovery.
The situation in Yemen highlights the systemic challenges – only three out of five births take place with a skilled birth attendant and one in three women do not receive antenatal care. Through UNFPA's support, midwives like Saba are receiving the training, equipment, and support needed to establish clinics within their homes, bridging this critical gap and bringing safety, dignity, and hope to families who might otherwise go without care. Currently, UNFPA supports 50 home-based midwifery clinics, mobilizing 70 frontline community midwives, and providing education to 100 midwifery students.
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Midwives Yemen Healthcare UNFPA CommunityHealth MaternalHealth GlobalHealth WomenHealth