UNFPA - United Nations Population Fund

Purpose

The project aims to increase the availability of skilled health care providers, especially midwives, in order to reduce maternal and infant mortality in South Sudan. The project builds on results from two previous projects: Training Midwives and Deploying Midwives in South Sudan. It supports six national training institutes delivering midwifery and nursing education in South Sudan, where a total of 850 health workers, including 650 midwives, are expected to complete training under the project. Project activities include: (1) developing a new curriculum for nurses and clinical officers; (2) obtaining the equipment required and improving the ability of the faculty members and administrative staff at the training institutes to teach and manage the midwifery and nursing programs; (3) mentoring of students and health care providers by international and national UN volunteer midwives during clinical practice to ensure the application of their skills; (3) training given by doctors working in health facilities to encourage a team approach in the provisions of midwifery and obstetric services; and (4) improving the ability of the Ministry of Health to manage and regulate the education of midwives and the ability of South Sudan's national and state-level Nursing and Midwifery Associations to advocate and promote their professions. The project is implemented in partnership with the Canadian Association of Midwives (CAM). CAM will provide direct peer to peer mentoring support and technical expertise from practicing Canadian midwives and midwifery educators. In addition, the Canadian Midwifery Regulators Consortium will help to strengthen regulatory and licensing frameworks for the midwifery profession, and the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada will provide technical expertise in the updating of the curriculum and training modules in obstetrics and gynecology for doctors and medical officers.