KABUL, 5 Sept – Surrounded by destruction and rubble, a midwife in Afghanistan walked hours to help deliver a baby with just a first aid kit, as the country was hit by yet another earthquake overnight and aid agencies continue to try to access hard-to-reach areas.
Pakiza*, 25, a midwife with four years of experience at Save the Children, travelled through blocked roads and rubble to get to the earthquake affected areas, where she was quickly asked by residents to help a pregnant woman who was in active labour.
Without a tent and with just a first aid kit, Pakiza helped the mother find a safe space to deliver her healthy baby girl and remained to provide support to community members and stabilise the mother and newborn. Pakiza says there’s now an urgent need for essential maternal health supplies, sanitary products, and clothing for women living in remote areas who have been affected by the earthquake.
Pakiza said:
“The baby was born in the middle of the trees, no tent, no roof. It was a tough situation, but I feel relieved that I was able to help the mother and baby.”
“I did my best to help her. After one hour, a baby girl was born. Both the mother and baby were stable.
“As a midwife and medical worker, I ask aid organisations to provide affected communities—especially women, with medical support. For example, mobile health teams should be equipped with supplies needed for childbirth.”
So far, Sunday's earthquake has killed over 1,300 people and wounded over 2,000 others [1], although these numbers are likely to change as rescue workers continue to reach more remote areas. Another strong earthquake struck Afghanistan's remote south-eastern region on Thursday night [2], the third earthquake in less than one week, as the country continues to reel from aftershocks.
Save the Children and other humanitarian organisations are working in the affected areas, but strong aftershocks have made road blockages worse and have hindered access to affected areas, forcing some teams to undertake long journeys by foot. [3]
Save the Children has four mobile health teams working around the clock, providing drinking water and other sanitation and hygiene services, and its protection teams have set up spaces where children can play safely and recover.
The earthquakes are the latest in a series of emergencies that have gripped Afghanistan amid an ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country where about 23 million people – or nearly half the population – is in need of humanitarian aid.
Samira Sayed Rahman, Programmes and Advocacy Director, Save the Children in Afghanistan said:
“Our mobile health teams are working under incredibly tough circumstances to help those affected, including babies, children and mothers but it is imperative that the international community does not look away from Afghanistan.
Save the Children is calling on the international community to urgently release emergency funds and prioritise children’s needs. Without immediate and sustained action, children face severe threats to their health, safety, and well-being in the days and weeks ahead.”
Save the Children has been working in Afghanistan since 1976, including during periods of conflict and natural disasters. Save the Children was one of the first international humanitarian organisations to be on the ground in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces in the aftermath of the earthquake.
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[2] https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000qtst/executive
*Name changed to protect anonymity.
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