Starting a Career Saving Lives During Childbirth

Kabul, Afghanistan – Rayhan Alem, 22-year-old native of Badakhsan Province in Afghanistan’s far northeast, has wanted to be a midwife since she was a teenager and a neighbor died giving birth. She graduated from the Midwifery Institute of Higher Education in Kabul in early 2015, but without any work experience, she couldn’t find a job as a midwife in any of Kabul’s maternity hospitals.

Photo: UN Women/Hamayoon Sediqi

Now she is preparing for her career by doing an internship at Ali Seena Hospital in Kabul, with the support of UN Women.

“The story of why I wanted to become a midwife started in my own village. When I was a high school student, I was walking back home from school one day and learned that my neighbor’s wife had died in childbirth. It really pained me and I thought if I became a midwife, I could help the women of my village to assist with safe deliveries. When I discussed this with my father and mother and other family members, they really appreciated my idea and assured me that they would always be on my side. This boosted my morale and made my decision to become a midwife stronger.

“After I graduated from high school, I was admitted to the midwifery school and successfully completed a two-year programme. After graduation, I had to work in a hospital to practice my skills. Luckily, I also learned about UN Women’s internship programme. I successfully passed the entrance exam and attended two months of training where I learned things like listening skills, preparing a CV skills, applying for jobs, and interview techniques and a lot of other things.

“After completing two months of in-class training … I was placed at Ali Seena Hospital, where I will work for four months. During my first two months, I assisted other midwives during delivery, and in the next two months, I will have the chance to attend deliveries independently. I am very excited about this. This is a golden opportunity for me to practice midwifery and develop the skills midwifery requires.

“As soon as I complete my four months of practice at Ali Seena Hospital, I will go back to my province, Badkhshan, and will work at the government clinic in my village. I know that I will have a very difficult time there because I am a recent graduate with less experience in this field, and I assume that women who come to clinic for delivery or to receive guidance on their pregnancy may not trust my ability and expertise, so I will need to work harder to prove myself to people and win their hearts.

“Everyone knows that the shortage of midwives in Afghanistan is a big problem and this is one of the reasons behind the high mortality rates. I believe with the increase in the number of skilled midwives, the mortality rates will decrease. I am sure that all midwives will be very proud of their work because they are saving the lives of mothers and babies. My role as a midwife will impact service delivery because I am a skilled and trained midwife and it is obvious that when midwives are properly trained, of course, they can offer cost-effective and quality services to the community.

“If UN Women didn’t have the internship programme, I believe my dream to become a skilled midwife never would have come true. I remember during the first day of my in-class training, I couldn’t speak in front of others because I was so shy. But after receiving training on leadership and communication skills, I am now able to apply the skills I learned and speak with my own voice and this is because of the UN Women internship programme. Thank you UN Women.”