Bringing vital care to some of the hardest-to-reach places on earth.
Haddi is a Traditional Birth Attendant in one of the most remote parts of Afar – a place where many families live days from the nearest health centre, with little access to roads, transport or medical care.
For women living here, pregnancy and childbirth can still be life-threatening – and today, worsening hunger, conflict and displacement are making life even more dangerous for mothers and babies, as families across Afar face a devastating humanitarian crisis.
Across the region, fewer than 3% of children are eating enough. Nearly half of children are growth-stunted through malnutrition, and the prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women and new mothers is shockingly high.
part of their journey on foot to reach remote communities.
Even now, despite hunger, conflict and collapsing services, Haddi walks for hours between isolated communities to check on pregnant women and help mothers deliver their babies safely.
Before receiving training from the APDA team, Haddi believed the deaths she witnessed were simply “the will of God”.
“I have seen mothers labouring for days, too weak in the end to cry out. I have seen them and their baby perish, with silence and tears where there should have been joy and a baby’s first cry.”
Saving the lives of mothers and babies
Today, Haddi knows many of these deaths can be prevented.
Recently, she helped save the life of a young girl whose labour had become high risk because of complications from female genital mutilation (FGM).
Recognising the danger signs, Haddi persuaded the family to make the long and dangerous journey for emergency care.
Because of women like Haddi, mothers survive. Babies live. Families stay together.
Today, thanks to training from APDA, Haddi is equipped with safe birthing kits, maternal health training and support from local health workers. She walks between isolated communities helping pregnant women stay safe, recognising danger signs early, and encouraging families to seek emergency care when needed.
At a time when so many families in Afar are facing uncertainty and hardship, women like Haddi are becoming a vital lifeline – bringing knowledge, care and hope to some of the hardest-to-reach places on earth.
Your donation today could help families in Afar survive this crisis – and to support courageous local women like Haddi who are fighting every day to keep mothers and babies alive.
