Kandahar, Afghanistan – Seven days after giving birth to her newborn girl, Husun Bibi returned to the Family Health House (FHH) where she gave birth, to bring food for the midwife who assisted her during the childbirth.

“This is an expression of my gratitude for your lifesaving support during my delivery,” Husun told midwife Durdana Samandar. 

Husun is especially grateful to the midwife for her alertness. A week earlier, she came to the FHH with what she thought was some stomach discomfort. But after being examined by Durdana, it turned out she was having labor pains and about to give birth.

“Husun came to the clinic with her mother-in-law and they wanted medicine for her abdominal pain,” Durdana recalled. “But I noticed that she was pregnant so I did further examination on her and found out that she was in an advanced stage of labor.”

Husun’s mother-in-law told the midwife that she will bring Husun home so she can give birth there, just like how her two children were delivered. However, the midwife insisted that Husun was in labor and needed the immediate care of a skilled birth attendant.

“I explained to them the complications and dangers that could arise if Husun left the clinic and walked four hours to go back home. I told them that the FHH was here to support safe deliveries and I am here to ensure that mother and baby are safe,” Durdana said.

Husun is thankful she listened to the midwife. “Had we insisted on going home, the situation could have been very different,” she expressed. It was also her first time delivering in a health facility and now better understands its lifesaving importance.

Midwives like Durdana have been working tirelessly to ensure that mothers and babies receive quality care and support through FHHs. Their efforts are recognized by the community, and many mothers like Husun have benefited from their services. Husun hopes that other mothers would also benefit from the services of the FHHs because she found it a safe haven for mother and newborns.

Durdana has been serving in the FHH since November 2022. The facility, which operates through the funding support of the Governments of Canada and Italy, is located 70 kilometers east of Spin Boldak City at the border with Pakistan, and provides reproductive health and midwifery services to a catchment population of around 3,000 people.

-Text and photo by Ehsanullah Popal