Talking Points

Midwives for Peace: Empowering Birth Experiences Last a Lifetime

Posted on: Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Keywords: Palestine, Middle East, Women's Health, Peace Building

Empowering Birth Experiences Last a Lifetime

We just received an update from our sister organization, Midwives for Peace! They sent us news about their recent meeting in a town near Jerusalem, which brought together 18 Palestinian and Israeli midwives.

These regular meetings serve as a rare opportunity for Palestinian and Israeli midwives to join in friendship amidst conflict. They discuss women’s health, offer support and empower one another.

This meeting included an important conversation about a midwife who ran a birthing center in a rural area in the northern West Bank. The local birthing center that offered crucial women-centered obstetric care was shut down.

With the support of MADRE, Midwives for Peace are planning to reopen a local home-based birthing center to meet the urgent need for midwifery care in these communities.

One midwife said, “We believe that empowering birth experiences last a lifetime. We would like to do our part to provide more women with the opportunity to benefit from the high quality care that we provide.”

The next meeting is scheduled for March, and we look forward to sharing more updates!

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