Yusra, a midwife from Syria
“In my 25 years as a midwife, one of the most challenging cases was the high-risk pregnancy of a woman carrying twin fetuses,” says Yusra [47] a midwife in Deir Ezzor, Syria.
“We didn’t have much then, but I kept both of the unborn babies alive.”
Health services are scarce in the war-torn and remote eastern region of Deir Ezzor, but UNFPA-supported mobile teams go the extra mile to reach women and girls regardless.
“I’ve delivered over 200 babies, even for my own sisters,” says Yusra, who now provides crucial health guidance to girls in the area, including on family planning, within a mobile health team.
Separately, a UNFPA-supported Midwifery Network in Deir Ezzor has facilitated around 340 safe births so far in 2024, and over 1200 in 2023.
“The Midwives Network has become a beacon of hope for pregnant women in rural Deir Ezzor. Their commitment to providing clean, and safe births has significantly improved maternal and newborn health in the region,” says Muriel Mafico, UNFPA Representative in Syria.
