Mariza had only been a midwife in Afghanistan for a year when the Taliban seized control of the country in August 2021. Life for millions of Afghans — especially for women and girls — were upended overnight.

“I was worried, but I couldn’t leave because people needed our services — pregnant women were worried about where to deliver as health facilities were closing,” Mariza told UNFPA. “So I didn’t close the family health house.”

“If I had left, a mother or a baby could have died. I stayed because people, especially pregnant women, needed my support.”

Since 2021, UNFPA-supported clinics have helped more than 5 million Afghans access critical health services, especially in remote and hard-to-reach areas.

One of the women who sought help was 29-year-old Sughra, who was nine months pregnant.

Worried about the availability of skilled care and stressed by the unfolding security situation, she traveled to her father’s home as soon as she felt early, pre-labor contractions, enduring a three-hour truck ride on rough roads.

“I was afraid I would give birth on the truck,” she recalled.

A few days later, Sughra started having labor pains and asked to be taken to the UNFPA-supported clinic. When it was time to go from there to the hospital, they were told all the medical staff had left. The only option would be to travel there with the midwife Mariza, who eventually helped safely deliver the baby.

“The labor was agonizing, but I was happy that we managed everything from the family health house,” recalled Sughra. “If the clinic hadn’t existed during those days, God knows what could have happened to me.”

Behind the safe delivery was the bravery of the midwife. “I stayed because people needed my support and I had to serve them in such crucial situations,” Mariza explained. “For the four years I have been working here, there have been no maternal deaths in this clinic.”

Public health workers were severely affected by the takeover, as hospitals and clinics were either forced to close or rendered non-functional and their staff could no longer make it to work safely — making the continued work of midwives like Mariza even more heroic.

Afghanistan urgently needs an additional 18,000 midwives to meet the growing demands. Will you rush a gift to support midwives in Afghanistan and wherever your help is needed most?

Sughra’s son Farhad is now just a few days away from his third birthday. “When he grows up, I hope he can study so he can build a good future for himself and other people around him,” she said.

Thank you for supporting safe childbirths, even in the bleakest of situations.

— USA for UNFPA