IMA is an international nonprofit that saves the lives of women and infants. In communities experiencing health care crises, IMA works with local populations to create sustainable programs that lower maternal and infant mortality. IMA's current project is in Soroti, Uganda.
International Midwife Assistance is an extremely effective organization. With an emphasis on results, quality and compassion, projects are designed specifically for each community. Then when we leave, the projects continue, completely managed by local people. This approach has led to measurable success everywhere we work.
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I worked for IMA during 2005 and 2006, in both Afghanistan and Uganda. In Afghanistan IMA was involved in teaching midwifery students who were recommended by their various villages in Bamiyan Province. The midwifery model of care is all about empowering the pregnant woman and her family to make healthy choices. In Afghanistan, training young women to work outside of their homes was also empowering for our midwifery students as well. The 22 midwives who graduated from the program are an outstanding example of empowerment for other women and particularly for younger women. In Uganda the IMA cllinic and birthing center also uses the midwifery model of care and empowers women to make healthier decisions concerning pregnancy, birth and child spacing. IMA is professionally managed by women and for women. - Siri DePaulo
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IMA's mission is to raise the standard of care in areas experiencing crises in maternal and infant care.
IMA is a US-based 501(c)(3) working in areas of the developing world currently experiencing crises in maternal and infant health care. Our approach is designed to meet the unique needs of the individual project and location, with the ultimate goal of building capacity in the local partner.
Before embarking on new projects, IMA ensures an in-depth needs assessment is completed to determine what services and method of operation will be most useful for each environment. The situation in Afghanistan is not the same as the situation in Uganda. Cultural norms and local capacities are also different. For this reason, IMA tailors its programs to suit community needs. In partnership with local organizations, IMA effectively supports efforts to bring critical services to populations most in need of quality maternal and infant health care.
PROJECTS
The first project in Afghanistan was in Bamiyan Province, at the Community Midwife Training Program and Bamiyan Provincial Hospital. Students were recruited from rural villages to participate in an 18-month program, with a commitment to return to their homes to practice in basic health centers and community health centers. IMA midwives participated as technical advisors, teachers who provided vital clinical mentorship to the students. The licensed and highly experienced IMA midwives and nurses were a critical resource in Bamiyan. They created a clinical environment that supported the students in becoming high-quality, reliable solo practitioners. As importantly, the organization is committed to modeling kindness, compassion and strong ethics. The first group of 22 midwives graduated in Bamiyan in March 2006 and became unusually compassionate midwives. IMA left Afghanistan due to the security situation. The school is now in the hands of the community, and was featured in Gathering Strength, Conversations with Afghan Women, by Peggy Kelsey, published in 2012.
In 2007 IMA joined the Colorado Haiti Project in the Petit Trou de Nippes region - a rural portion of the country plagued by severe need for all basic services. An IMA volunteer accompanied a representative from the Colorado Haiti Project to conduct a formal maternal health needs assessment. As a result of that report, in 2008 IMA sponsored an American Nurse Midwife to travel to Petit Trou to teach 34 Haitian women skills to prevent and manage maternal and newborn problems. The focus of the program is the creation of a training cascade engaging women as health educators in all the villages in that region. The program has been massively successful.
Since 2007, IMA has been working in Soroti, Uganda, with the Teso Safe Motherhood Project (TSMP). TSMP, a locally registered Ugandan NGO, operates a maternal health clinic and birth center for the most marginalized and vulnerable populations in the Soroti District of Uganda. This population includes thousands of people displaced by Uganda's brutal civil war. The clinic is located in Soroti town and employs 44 local staff.
Organization name
International Midwife Assistance
other names
IMA
2004
Tax id (EIN)
10-1180860
Category
International, Foreign Affairs & National Security
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Address
PO Box 916Boulder County, CO, US
UG