The Ebola crisis has dealt a devastating blow to West Africa, killing more than 4,900 people, overwhelming health systems and crippling the health workforce. As an international, nonprofit health organization dedicated to preventing the needless deaths of women and families, Jhpiego is working side by side with the governments of Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria to provide critical infection prevention and control (IPC) assistance to ensure that health workers are safe on the job and prepared to provide lifesaving care to women and families.
Gusau, Nigeria—Ummi Lawal changed her life and that of her family with a $13 loan.
The Nigerian mother of 12 struggled to provide for her children before joining Talaffin Mata Masu Dabara (TMMD) club in Mada—a women’s savings and loan club that empowers its members to launch small businesses and make independent decisions about issues such as where and when to receive health services.
Lahore, Pakistan–Ayesha Sohail owns a small private health clinic in the Samanabad area of central Lahore in Punjab province. There, this Lady Health Visitor—a position similar to a skilled birth attendant in other parts of the world, with nearly three years of training—provides care and counseling to numerous women.
An advocate for family planning, Ayesha was recently trained on the postpartum intrauterine contraceptive device (PPIUCD) through the Jhpiego-led Saving Lives at Birth project. She was one of 88 care providers, among doctors, nurses, midwives and other Lady Health Visitors, to receive this training.
