Why maternal health?
What we regard as basic necessities – skilled doctors and other health care staff, modern hospitals, and antibiotics – are considered great luxuries for most in Africa. Because of this, 1 in 39 women on the continent are at risk of dying during pregnancy or childbirth, compared to as low as 1 in 30,000 in some European countries.
Sadly, the majority of these deaths are from preventable causes, mainly a lack of basic medical care. To make matters worse, once deprived of a mother’s care, a child’s chance of survival drops dramatically. An AMREF- trained midwife can identify complications and in many cases save the mother’s life. 
Why AMREF?
AMREF is the largest Africa- based, non-governmental health development organization in the world. In our work, we focus on women and children – often the most vulnerable.
Though we manage programs for all the most critical issues facing the continent, training health workers is at the cornerstone of our work. Over the past 50 years, we have trained more than more than 500,000 health workers, including community volunteers, midwives, and doctors who stay and practice in their communities.
Read more about our focus: Women
