Strengthening Midwifery Education and Practice in Somalia (SMEPS) aims to reduce maternal mortality by addressing the critical shortage of skilled midwives in Somalia, Somaliland and Puntland through enhancement of midwifery education and practice, regulation and association strengthening.
SMEPS is a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)‑led collaboration between: CAM, the Somali Midwifery Association (SOMA), the Somaliland Nurses and Midwifery Association (SLNMA) and the Puntland Association of Midwives (PAM). It is supported by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada.
Project Goals
- Improving midwifery education by strengthening clinical skills, knowledge and practice of pre-and in-service midwives
- Promoting community advocacy by positively influencing gender equity norms concerning GBV, SRHR, consent and access to health care
- Developing midwifery leadership in the health sector by empowering professional midwifery associations in the Somali region
- Improving the ability of the Ministry of Health to manage and regulate midwifery education and practice, recognizing midwives’ associations’ technical expertise in the profession
- Utilizing technology to increase communities’ access to health care information, including developing a SRHR mobile app targeted at Somali youth in order to increase knowledge of sexual health and reproductive rights
Highlights 2020-21
- 3 MACAT (Member Association Capacity Assessment Tool) trainings
- 3 curriculum revision workshops
- 3 communication advocacy trainings
- 3 SRHR campaigns within targeted communities by the midwives’ associations
- 2 midwifery regulation assessments
- 2 midwifery education and practice assessments
- 2 organisational development capacity trainings
- 2 “Foundations of midwifery regulation” workshops
Total Project Budget
10 million CAD
Dates: 2020-2024
