In 2025, International Day of the Midwife was celebrated across some of the world’s most crisis-affected regions. From conflict zones to areas battling climate shocks and health emergencies, midwives stood at the forefront of care, resilience, and advocacy. This year’s theme, “Midwives: Critical in Every Crisis,” rang especially true as associations across the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Somalia and Somaliland, South Sudan, and Tanzania mobilized powerful actions in celebration, reflection, and service.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
In the DRC, IDM unfolded amidst a deepening humanitarian crisis. SCOSAF led health rights outreach in Ituri province, where over 200 women died from preventable causes. The day featured marches in five regions and radio campaigns in Bukavu, even under occupation. A national accreditation test for midwives was validated, marking a historic step toward professional recognition. These events spotlighted how midwives are not only saving lives but demanding systemic reform in a country where maternal vulnerability is intensified by insecurity and displacement..
HAITI
Despite political and economic instability, Haitian midwives marked IDM through mobile clinics offering cervical cancer and HIV screenings. Teams identified and referred cases for urgent care, while promoting family planning and HIV services. These clinical interventions, focused on prevention and treatment, underscored the vital role midwives play in sustaining essential health care during crisis. As health infrastructure in the country is challenged by violence, midwives persist as trusted providers of reproductive health in the most vulnerable of communities.
SOMALIA & SOMALILAND
In Somalia, SOMA organized six large IDM events across regions plagued by drought, floods, and conflict. Through panel discussions and a powerful video campaign, midwives’ contributions during crises were celebrated, reminding communities and governments alike of their critical role in the health system. In Somaliland, SLNMA’s celebration gathered 150 attendees, honouring outstanding student midwives and presenting awards to those who demonstrated courage and commitment during emergencies. Their message was clear: midwives are not only caregivers, but protectors of dignity and resilience in a fractured health system.
SOUTH SUDAN
In a country navigating post-conflict recovery, current tensions and health emergencies, SSNAMA mobilized both celebration and service. In Yambio, midwifery students led hospital clean-ups, showcasing readiness and solidarity. In Cueibet County, SSNAMA organized a school-based cholera awareness campaign in response to a local outbreak, emphasizing the preventative and educational role of midwives. These actions illustrated how midwives are pillars of community care—even outside clinical settings—delivering health, hope, and hygiene in times of instability.
….and a beautiful song
TANZANIA
IDM in Tanzania was a national celebration of resilience. TAMA, with support from CAM, UNFPA, and others, hosted a Midwifery Dialogue in Dar es Salaam and a vibrant event in Shinyanga. Activities included free RMNCAH services, climate change panels, and awards for midwifery excellence. The event, livestreamed and widely covered in the media, reaffirmed the midwife’s role as essential in crisis—whether due to climate, conflict, or health emergencies. The celebrations served as a rallying cry to invest in midwives as anchors of national wellbeing.
Happy IDM to all our partners and friends in the Global South. You are critically important in every crisis, and essential every day.
