The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a powerful call to action: the world needs more skilled midwives to save the lives of mothers and babies. They recommended that scaling midwifery models of care globally is key to saving lives, improving health, and ensuring respectful care for women and newborns.
At Adara, our newly launched Mentoring Our Midwives programme in Uganda answers this call. The programme trains experienced midwives to become mentors and leaders in their own workplaces, helping to build a stronger, more skilled midwifery workforce.
The aim is clear: reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths by strengthening maternal health systems across Uganda. This is exactly what WHO is calling for – scalable, sustainable models that puts mothers and babies first.
Introducing the Mentoring our Midwives Programme
“Mentoring our Midwives all about multiplying expertise,” says Belinda Kerr, Adara’s Maternal Health Education Manager. “We’re training experienced midwives to become mentors, equipping them with hands-on tools, clinical simulators and ongoing support.”
The programme goes beyond traditional classroom learning. It brings mentorship directly to the bedside, integrating real-time simulation and practical skills sessions into the daily rhythm of maternity care. It complements existing government training, amplifying its reach and impact.
“These mentors will lead regular, practical skills sessions right on the ward, ensuring every midwife in their facility is confident, competent, and ready for anything.”
Why this matters
Too many mothers and newborns are still dying from preventable causes – especially in low-income and low-resource settings with limited access to skilled care. A woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth every two minutes globally. WHO estimates that universal access to skilled midwives could prevent over 60% of these deaths, saving 4.3 million lives annually by 2035.
In Uganda, it’s even more urgent – up to 80% of maternal deaths are preventable with skilled care. That’s tens of thousands of lives that could be saved each year.
“By building a network of mentor midwives, the Mentoring our Midwives programme tackles this challenge head-on—scaling up skills, sharing knowledge, and fostering a culture of continuous learning.”
mentor midwives in action
We launched the Mentoring our Midwives programme in July 2025 with a three-day mentorship workshop for 14 experienced midwives from AdaraNewborn sites. The training focused on the qualities of effective mentorship using interactive simulations and role-plays. Participants practised mentoring techniques while managing maternal conditions and complications. The sessions built confidence, encouraged teamwork, and sparked a shared commitment to improving care. Feedback was positive, with midwives expressing readiness to mentor others.
In August 2025, the mentor midwives put their skills into action by training nurses and midwives from nearby lower-level health facilities. These sessions aimed to equip participants with the skills and confidence needed to provide timely, quality care and make critical referrals when complications arise. The mentors passed on their expertise, guiding midwives through practical, life-saving techniques such as postpartum haemorrhage management, newborn resuscitation, and identifying high-risk mothers.
The initiative was praised by Luwero District Health Officials, who commended its potential to transform maternal health services and reduce preventable deaths across Uganda.
Adara’s vision
The Mentoring Our Midwives programme is part of our broader work at Adara to strengthen health systems and save maternal and newborn lives. We specialise in delivering high-quality healthcare to women, newborns and children at health facilities, in the community and at home.
Mentoring our Midwives falls into the ‘intrapartum care’ arm of AdaraNewborn – our high-impact model for increasing survival rates for the sickest and smallest newborns and their mothers to meet Sustainable Development Goal targets. It’s our goal to ensure that giving birth is a safe and positive experience for women and their families. We’re committed to ensuring every woman and newborn receives quality, timely and respectful care from a skilled provider.
Mentoring our Midwives is helping turn this vision into a reality. It’s building a network of confident, capable midwives who are equipped to lead, teach, and provide compassionate care. And this is just the beginning. We’re excited to grow the programme and share more to come in the months ahead.
