Following up with Rural Healthcare Workers

Last October, fifteen midwives and nurses from small villages in Kyrgyzstan’s southern mountains gathered for a seminar hosted by CDI. The seminar’s goal was to educate healthcare workers in order to reduce mother-baby fatalities and to improve overall outcomes of childbirth. After the seminar, CDI staff stayed connected with the women through online “Coaching Circles.” They helped guide them through situations and answered questions as they came up. The CDI team also walked alongside the nurses and midwives as they became the educators themselves and taught pregnant women in their villages. Much of the training they had previously been using dated back to Soviet Union education. Even though they had been using old methods and information for years, the healthcare workers showed a willingness to learn and implement new techniques in their practice. One Midwife was fifty eight years old, but still showed eagerness to learn and improve in her work.

The CDI Team returned in February to check in on the nurses and midwives and give an additional day and a half of training. They covered topics surrounding labor and pre-labor preparation. The fifteen women also shared what they had learned and experienced over the past few months. One midwife related how she had gone back to her village and taught four pregnant women the different techniques and information she had learned from the October training. After the women gave birth, they came to the midwife and expressed their gratitude. They stated they noticed the difference from this birthing experience compared to their previous births. They reported their births were much more peaceful and less problematic. The CDI team recognized the importance of initial training, and of following up and supporting people through the learning process.