Project rationale
Maternal health indicators in Uganda remain unacceptably poor with a maternal mortality ratio of 435 per 100000 live births. Many of these deaths are due to preventable conditions including excessive bleeding, infections, obstructed labour and high blood pressure respectively. The high maternal mortality leaves behind orphans inpoor illhealth conditions (marasmus and Kwarshiokor) as a result of lack of parental care .

Collaboration between Venture Strategies and the Uganda Private Midwives Association (UPMA) seeks to further build capacity of the Uganda private midwives to be able to prevent and treat post partum hemorrhage (PPH) using misoprostol. This will further strengthen the knowledge and capacity of private midwives to manage   mothers at risk of Post Post Hemorrhage in under serviced community’s .Virtually all the trained midwives will achieve acceptable standards of performance, resulting in a diverse of options of preventing and managing post partum hemorrhage in birthing homes.

Goal: To empower private midwives with knowledge and skills in the prevention and treatment of post partum hemorrhage using misoprostol.

Objective:
 By the end of January 2010,  420 UPMA members from three regions(central, western and eastern) will have been trained and followed up and supported  in the use of misoprostol as a third line drug for prevention and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage

Project Activities:

• Conduct workshops for 240 private midwives from 2 regions in the Eastern and western Ugandan regions aimed at equipping private midwives with knowledge and skills of using misoprostol as a third line drug in the prevention and treatment of postpartum haemorrhage
• Conduct workshops for 180 private midwives from the central region aimed at equipping private midwives with knowledge and skills of using misoprostol as a third line drug in the prevention and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage
• Conduct a follow up and support supervision to  the trained midwives to ensure they are performing according to standards and trouble shoot emerging issues
• Procure and supply misoprostal to trained midwives.

Outcome objectives:

• At the conclusion of the workshops, 420 private midwives from in 2 regions will be knowledgeable and skilled in the use of misoprostol
• At the end of project period, UPMA will present a report on how many clients have been reached with misoprostol, the success stories and challenges concerning the use of misoprostol.