Samangan, Afghanistan – Midwife Moqadesa was about to end a workday with the Mobile Health Team (MHT) when her mobile phone rang. It was an urgent call from a man whose wife was about to deliver.

“My wife needs your assistance. She is in the advanced stage of labour, and there is no way for us to bring her to a healthcare facility,” the caller told Moqadesa.

The woman who was about to deliver was Gul Dasta, who frequently came to the MHT for her antenatal check-ups with  Moqadesa. During those visits, Moqadesa always reminded Gul Dasta to call her when it was time to give birth so she could have a safe delivery.

It was Gul Dasta's sixth childbirth, but only two had been attended by skilled birth attendants. During her antenatal visits to Moqadesa, she and her husband learned the importance of a midwife present during delivery, so they kept the contact details of the MHT.

"It was close to the end of the workday, and we were getting ready to go home,” Moqadesa recalled. "But another life was about to be born into this world, so I had to be there to provide assistance."

It took nearly an hour for the MHT to reach the Gul Dasta’s location, and she was experiencing intense labour pains when they found her.

"I examined the mother, her vital signs were stable, but she was in the advanced stage of labour, and childbirth was imminent because she had been in labour for hours already. It was good that we reached her just in time to assist with the delivery. Otherwise, there could have been life-threatening consequences," Moqadesa explained.

Fortunately, the delivery went smoothly. The 30-year-old Gul Dasta could not thank the midwife enough. She later confessed that before the MHT arrived, she worried too much about safely delivering her baby.

Prior to leaving Gul Dasta’s house, the MHT provided her with a Mama & Baby kit to help ensure their well-being and prevent infection.

The midwife’s care did not end after the delivery. Gul Dasta returned to the MHT during its next visit to the community for postnatal care from the midwife, which included guidance on newborn immunization and nutrition, as well as birth spacing for the couple. The MHT is one of the 30 mobile teams currently supported by the USAID-Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) in Afghanistan to provide access to reproductive health services in remote areas like Gul Dasta’s village.