In its inaugural year, the Students Rebuild Awards aims to fuel global awareness and anti-oppression efforts by elevating the game changers who are working to improve the lives of young people in their communities. We applaud these young women who often go unrecognized, fighting bravely to improve life conditions for their peers and to end the oppression of women and girls in their communities and countries.
We published a profile of Nimco one year ago. The following is a statement by our own nursing school and midwife graduate, Nimco.
My name is Nimco Cabdillahi. I am a 26-year-old woman from Hargeisa, Somaliland. I am a qualified nurse and a midwife. To achieve these qualifications, I studied nursing at Edna Adan Hospital for three years and studied Midwifery for one more year. I chose nursing and midwifery because I want to help mothers and children. I have a particular interest in nutrition and family health.
I am now working in the village of Balligubadle, which is near the border with Ethiopia. There are 33 small villages and towns in the area with a combined population of about 20,000 people; some of them travel as much as 50 kilometers for health care. Although my family is in Hargeisa, I chose to work in Balligubadle because that is where I am needed.
Balligubadle has one community health center and one TB center. There is no doctor at the health center. There is a visiting doctor who comes to the TB center about three times a week. Before I moved to Balligubadle, there were no qualified nurses or trained midwives. The only assistance available to pregnant women were traditional birth attendants who do not have medical training. Anemia is very common in pregnant women in our area. We now have two Community Midwives (trained at Edna Hospital) in Balligubadle and someone is always on duty. In addition to medical services, we provide training on nutrition and other subjects. When necessary, we refer patients to Edna Hospital. Hargeisa is only 68 kilometers away but the trip takes four hours because of the poor condition of the road.
I was very excited to get the news that we had won the Students Rebuild/Half the Sky Award. Our health center has one small ward where we assist with a minimum of 30-35 births per month. At least five births per month have some complications. With the prize money we plan to build a second ward to reduce overcrowding. We also will be able to improve our equipment. The things we need most right now are an ultrasound machine, incubators and oxygen for premature babies.
I am a young girl, but I recognize the need to increase our knowledge in the area of health care. Health is the foundation of life. I ask the world community to increase its commitment to health care, especially for rural and nomadic communities who lack money, education and transportation.
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