Midwives in the Casamance

Position and tasks The midwives have a special status among the population and gain much respect in the villages. They perform a crucial function in basic health care. They often act as confidential counsellors when they educate patients and advice on, for example, nutrition, hygiene and birth control.

Working conditions The current circumstances under which the midwives must fulfill their tasks are often very difficult. This concerns, among others, the following matters: Defective material, including malfunctioning or missing scanning equipment for prenatal care; Personnel problems: loss due to old age and illness current midwives, high workload due to population growth and shortage of newly trained midwives;

Poor housing at the workplace on the hospital grounds (Kafountine); health education & education ( Diouloulou). Lacking up-to-date resources and health education - and trainingmaterials. In addition, also missing suitable classroom for health education & education ( Diouloulou).