The Edna Adan Maternity Hospital (EAH), University of Hargeisa (UoH) and THET have a vacancy for a full time Lead tutor to head and implement the first BSc in Midwifery in Somaliland’s history.

Since declaring independence in 1991 Somaliland has suffered many of the problems associated with post conflict including a critical shortage of health professionals. This rewarding position offers a unique opportunity to be involved in the development of human and institutional capacity, crucial for the rebuilding of the health system in Somaliland.

THET is an international non governmental organisation which has been working with health institutions in Somaliland to strengthen the health system since 2000. The Edna Adan Hospital, located in Hargeisa, Somaliland, is a non-profit charity community hospital built by the Hospital Director and founder Edna Adan Ismail. The hospital is the main teaching institution in country for midwifery with a history of training community and post basic midwives. The University of Hargeisa is the largest university in the country with a reputation for providing courses astutely designed to build human capital in key areas essential to the country’s reconstruction. The BSc Midwifery students would join the University of Hargeisa community within the Faculty of Medicine.

Role

The post holder will lead the implementation of a high quality BSc Midwifery Programme for qualified midwives, the first BSc level Midwifery course to be run in Somaliland. In consultation with EAH and the UOH s/he will take overall responsibility for the delivery and evaluation of the course. As the course lead, s/he will be responsible for planning the teaching programme; supervising course tutors (including short term international technical support) and ensuring effective mentorship of the students.

Essential

• Practicing midwife and registered in own country
• University graduate, educated at least to Master’s Level
• Education qualification or proven extensive experience of midwifery teaching at BSc level, with strong clinical and theory skills
• Fluent English speaker (the course will be delivered 100% in English)
• Strong research skills
• Strong IT skills – word, power point and excel
• Able to work independently
• Innovative and adaptable, able to work effectively in a resource constrained environment
• Strong interpersonal skills, able to communicate and collaborate effectively with people from a wide range of backgrounds

Desirable

• Substantial developing country work experience, preferably North / north-east Africa or sub-Sahara

To apply, please send a CV and a one page covering letter to Samira Abu-Helil, THET, 1 Wimpole Street, London, W1G 0AE or by email to: Samira at thet.org

*Funding for this programme and UoH accreditation is subject to approval.

Edna Adan with Graduating Nurses

“The biggest gift I want to leave behind is not a building, but the skills I leave with the women. I want to train 1,000 midwives.”

Her progress so far is astounding. Since the hospital opened, they have delivered more than 9,500 women and lost only 39. “That’s 39 too many,” she laments, nonetheless delighted that they have reduced the maternal mortality rate by one-fourth. In 1988, the last time a study was done, there were 160 deaths per 10,000 births in Somaliland, making it the third worst in the world. “Women are dying of complications nobody is picking up,” she explains. “Because nobody is there to support them, care for them, or deliver them. They are getting infected, torn apart. No woman should die of childbirth, because modern obstetrics has ways to save them.” The challenge: “ignorance, poverty, and harmful traditions.”

Those are also the culprits in her other lifelong cause: ending the practice now called Female Genital Mutilation. When she started speaking out–to the embarrassment of her husband-it was simply Female Circumcision. “No one would talk about it then. I was the first Somali woman to pick up a microphone.” And despite all the publicity in recent years she says, “We have not cracked the surface of it. I am giving out a document at the conference showing a new survey of 4.000 women. Of them, 97 percent, shamefully, had been cut. After 34 years of campaigning. We’re nowhere near winning that battle.”

But Edna Adan Ismail takes comfort that now, “we have the whole world talking about it, it’s out of the closet.”

Read the Full Article

We are proud and happy to have been able to conduct this training at our hospital. Some of the many photos taken during Graduation, which was attended by the Minister of Health of Somaliland, have been added to our Edna Hospital Gallery.

The course was funded by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

My theory is that women in Somaliland die because of ignorance on their part and on the part of those assisting them. Poverty is a strong factor that prevents women from seeking help because they convince themselves that they cannot afford the cost of modern medicine and would rather consult the local traditional healer who often causes more complications.

As far as African women are concerned… We fare the worst compared to women in other continents. In my 48-year experience as a midwife, I see very little improvement in the conditions under which our women progress through their pregnancies and childbirth. It’s a situation that shocks me even more today when I witness the advances that have been made in medical care elsewhere during the past half-century.

What leads the women of our continent to their graves during pregnancy and childbirth? As I describe below, the reasons fall into six categories: nutrition, education, high fertility, female genital mutilation, improper care at delivery and inadequate health facilities.

Read the Full Article:

On The Issues Magazine: Fall 2008: The Terror of Motherhood in Somaliland and Women’s Rights to Safe Care by Edna Adan Ismail