Colombia’s Traveling Midwives

In Colombia’s Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities, traditional midwives are playing a crucial role in keeping maternal care going amid the pandemic
 
Their services are badly needed: The Pan American Health Organization has reported 40% drop in pregnancy checks across 11 Latin American countries. Maternal mortality was high in Colombia even before the pandemic, particularly among Afro-Caribbean women.
 
These traveling midwives don’t only fill in care gaps in rural areas: Unlike doctors, they are also welcomed even in areas occupied by armed groups. (“I wear my midwife’s uniform, with my card and bag, so I can pass anywhere,” says a midwife who has delivered well over 700 newborns in her multi-decade career.
 
The New Humanitarian