Small but mighty – that’s Emilee Henry. What she lacks in size she makes up for in spunk! While in her third trimester, Emilee eagerly joined an intensive training for local birth attendants at Sant Sante Espwa, thrilled at the chance to learn how to safely deliver babies for families in her community.
Emilee has seen firsthand how dangerous childbirth can be. “When a mother is giving birth and the hands appear first, it’s a very big problem,” she explained. Without trained birth attendants, complications like this can quickly turn deadly. Sadly, too many babies in Haiti are born at home without skilled help, leaving the country with the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the Western Hemisphere. The good news? Many of these tragedies are preventable with proper training and support.
Emilee said, “At the training, I not only learned how to safely give birth when my own baby is born, but I also learned a great deal so I can help and serve other women in the community.”
Over the past six months, Emilee and 22 others poured themselves into learning life-saving skills. Last Thursday, every single one passed their exams and celebrated with a joyful graduation ceremony! Now, they are equipped to recognize and manage complications before and after delivery—work that will save the lives of countless mothers and babies.
Emilee herself expressed the joy and miracle of seeing a baby born free of complications during the training. And just days later, she experienced that same joy personally as she welcomed her own baby boy at Sant Sante Espwa – supported by the skilled hands of our WWV midwives.
We are so grateful for everyone who has helped make this transformative training program possible. Because of you, mothers and babies in rural Haiti now have hope for safer births and brighter futures. Thank you for changing lives in Haiti, one birth at a time!
