On May 5, 2025, International Day of the Midwife is marked this year by the theme “Midwives: Critical in Every Crisis”.
In Haiti, this theme particularly resonates.
In a country where insecurity, forced displacement, shortages and the collapse of health services complicate access to care, midwives play a central role. They accompany women before, during and after childbirth, provide family planning and postnatal support, and intervene with survivors of sexual violence.
The challenges are immense. Haiti today records 529 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, one of the highest rates in the Caribbean. These alarming figures are due to limited access to care, exacerbated by a glaring shortage of qualified personnel and strong regional inequalities that particularly penalize rural areas.
In this context, the work of midwives is indispensable. In Zanmi Lasante, they fight every day to maintain access to essential care and reduce avoidable deaths.
Widnie Pacombe, sage-femme et responsable du service Sante Fanm du centre de santé de Ti Lory
Widnie Pacombe, midwife and head of the Sante Fanm department at the Ti Lory Health Center, sums up, “Midwifery is indispensable in every crisis. In times of war, pandemic, natural disaster or humanitarian crisis, we’re always there. And above all, in the current situation in Haiti, we remain present, standing, resilient.”
At Hôpital Saint Nicolas de Saint-Marc, Fabiola Orelus, a midwife for eight years, describes the reality of her profession: “With us, this theme takes on its full meaning. We face critical situations every day. There is no safety… and yet we must continue to ensure births, accompany women and save lives.”
She adds: “Too many women don’t know when they are ready to give birth. They often don’t know what to do during pregnancy or how to protect themselves afterwards. We also have a role as educators. We give women the knowledge they need to better experience motherhood and make informed choices.”
On a global scale, the Midwifery Accelerator, launched in April 2025, proposes three priorities:
- Commit – Invest: Strengthen policy frameworks, and increase domestic and global investments.
- Educate – Deploy – Retain: Ensure quality education and professional development for midwives; deploy midwives strategically and retain midwives by creating a safe, supportive and accountable workplace.
- Advocate – Empower: Build midwife leadership, strengthen coalitions and amplify voices of women and communities for effective advocacy and accountability.
In Haiti, these actions are urgent. Without midwives, efforts to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality will not succeed. Their daily work meets essential needs and helps strengthen the resilience of the healthcare system, especially in the most vulnerable areas.
The daily work of midwives meets essential needs and helps strengthen the resilience of the healthcare system, especially in the most vulnerable areas. Support our midwives today