Midwives - Cox Bazaar  ·  Bangladesh

Midwives of Cox's Bazar

"I am midwife, with women for a lifetime..."

Midwives of Cox Bazaar
Providing Maternal Health Care with dedication and humanity

Over 60,000 babies were born in Cox’s Bazar in 2018 — a number expected to be exceeded in 2019. Hope Foundation, based in Bangladesh’s massive refugee camp, will train several hundred midwives over the next few years to be at the forefront of the birthing crisis in Cox’s Bazar. Local medical experts calculate that throughout their 30-year careers these midwives will bring down the maternal mortality rate from 194 to 35/100,000 births and infant mortality from 52 to 12/1,000 and save over 36,000 lives. The “Midwifery Diploma Program” is funded by the British Department for International development in partnership with BRAC University.

Citing their “Midwifery Pledge” and dressed in their bright pink uniforms, these young female recruits are training to become midwives in Cox’s Bazar, the world’s largest refugee camp, where over 90% of the women give birth at home, without the attendance of skilled healthcare workers. This growing force of midwives will make a difference in saving the lives of thousands of mothers and their babies and in transitioning delivery from a risk to a beautiful experience.

Midwifery Pledge

As I enter the midwifery profession, I pledge to:

Use all the knowledge, skills, and understanding that I possess

when providing professional midwifery care.

Deliver midwifery care non-judgmentally and to all those who require it,

to the best of my ability.

As a midwife I will refrain from any action which might be harmful

to the quality of life or health of those I care for.

As a midwife I will treat each client with respect.

As a midwife I will hold in professional confidence all the personal information entrusted to me.

As a midwife I will keep my professional knowledge and skills at the highest level and give my support and cooperation to all members of the health care team.

As a midwife I will contribute to the advancement of the midwifery profession.

I am midwife, with women for a lifetime.

Citing their “Midwife Oath” and dressed in their bright pink uniforms, these young women are training to become midwives in Cox’s Bazar, the world’s largest refugee camp, where over 90% of the women give birth at home, without the attendance of skilled healthcare workers. These midwives will make a difference in saving the lives of thousands of mothers and their babies and in transitioning delivery from a risk to a beautiful experience.

Informed Consent

Our team members obtain informed consent from each individual before an interview takes place. Individuals dictate where their stories may be shared and what personal information they wish to keep private. In situations where the individual is at risk and/or wishes to remain anonymous, alias names are used and other identifying information is removed from interviews immediately after they are received by TSOS. We have also committed not to use refugee images or stories for fundraising purposes without explicit permission. Our top priority is to protect and honor the wishes of our interview subjects.

What would you do if you had to leave everything behind?

By the end of 2025, more than 117.8 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced by war, persecution, or human rights abuses — and 45 million of them are children.

They arrive in refugee camps and countries seeking safety and carrying little: legal papers, if they're lucky. A backpack. A child's hand in theirs.

What they carry that we can't see is heavier: fractured families, homes they'll never return to, professions they loved, friends and relatives they may never see again.

In a climate where immigrant stories are often ignored or twisted, we believe stories are a form of justice. When someone shares what they survived, they reclaim their voice. When we amplify it through film, photography, and advocacy, the world listens. Hearts soften. Policy begins to shift.

Because when a lawmaker sees a person instead of a statistic, and a neighbor understands instead of fears, rebuilding becomes possible.

Your support helps us share these stories where they matter most.

— Kristen Smith Dayley, Executive Director, Their Story is Our Story

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