Although not directly related to maternal health, we like to point Meshwork partners to the Cordaid HIV/AIDS award 2011 with the theme "Linking Community- and formal health and care services for people living with HIV".

Please follow this link to see all the news items made by Global Health Television on the ICM Congress. Do not forget to view the interview with the Presidents of SLMA and KNOV and another twin-couple on the Twin-to-Twin project. After clicking the link, you can select the item on the right side of the page.
http://www.globalhealthtv.com/#/v/twinning_midwives_from_the_netherlands...

“Midwifery practice should be evidence-based and strengthened by research” states Professor Soo Down in the last plenary session during the 29th triennial ICM Congress in Durban. The MDG5 Meshwork for Improving Maternal Health contributes to evidence based policy and practice through its research activities in Sierra Leone and Afghanistan.

During the 29th ICM Triennial Congress in Durban, MDG5 Meshwork partners are hosting a very interactive and popular booth. On Wednesday, MDG5 Meshwork partner Cordaid had invited partners from Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and Malawi to present the creative ways they have found to address maternal health. Sierra Leone and Afghanistan have the highest maternal mortality in the world. Malawi has the worst indicators in its region. Behind the bad indicators, are the very real stories of women that needlessly die in the process of giving life.

During the 29th ICM Triennial Congress in Durban the foundation midwives4mothers launched their website (www.midwifes4mothers.nl). The foundation is the direct result of the MDG5 Meshwork’s Twinning programme between the Sierra Leone Midwives Association (SLMA) and the Royal Dutch Organisation of Midwives (KNOV). Founded in August 2010, midwives4mothers aims to reduce the number of women and children dying during childbirth and to support the twinning relationship between Dutch and Sierra Leonean midwives.

MDG5 Meshwork partners in Sierra Leone and Afghanistan felt supported and encouraged by today’s launch of the State of the World’s Midwifery Report 2011. The report shows that upgrading of midwifery services could save 3.6 million lives in 58 resource poor countries by 2015. The report states that there is a large gap between the number of practicing midwives and the number of midwives needed. More midwives need to be trained and deployed.

This week, more than 3000 midwives and maternal health experts from 111 countries gather in Durban at the International Confederation of Midwives Triennial Congress. The Dutch came with one of the largest delegations: 101 midwives, policy makers and researchers travelled to South Africa. Sitting together with the Sierra Leonean delegation, they stole the show with their outfits in the colours of both countries’ flags.

We are very happy to share with you the final program for our booth during the Durban conference. Especially for this conference, we updated our brochure which is also attached.

A big representation of Meshworkers will be present at this conference in Durban organised by Meshwork partner ICM. Twins from Sierra Leone and the Netherlands will meet in person. A delegation from Afghanistan will also join in the conference. A Meshwork booth in the exhibition area will present the work we are doing in informal technical sessions, with films, photo's and the mother night song. To start it all off, a collaboration event will be organised on Sunday 19th in the booth.

On May 16, during the final event of Mother's Night 2011, Dutch State Secretary for Development Cooperation commits himself to improving sexual and reproductive health and rights for women and girls globally. The Netherlands especially can offer special skills and expertise in this field. State Secretary Knapen declared this while accepting the Mother's Night's campaign petition.