Birth Life Saving Skills
“When I arrived at my daughter’s home, her pain had already begun. It was midnight, and we could not get to the clinic,” said Mrs. Siamoy*. She had gone to be with her pregnant daughter who lived in a district called Sholgar to help with the birth. But Sholgar was a long way from the nearest clinic, and they simply could not make the journey. So Mrs. Siamoy got ready to help her daughter deliver the baby at home.
Helping to Deliver a Grandchild
“When I arrived at my daughter’s home, her pain had already begun. It was midnight, and we could not get to the clinic,” said Mrs. Siamoy*.
Addressing Child and Mother Mortality
BLiSS is a health education program about pregnancy, birth and new born care which began in 2005. The programme was created to help address the child and mother mortality rate in Afghanistan which remains one of the highest in the world.
The Last One Born was the Luckiest One!
The people said, “Shirin Gul has four daughters; one of them was born after taking the BLiSS course.” Another lady laughed and said, “The last one born was the luckiest one!”
Saving Lives
“We all are thankful for these lessons and are so happy that we have my daughter-in-law and my grandchild with us.” – Birth Life Saving Skills participant
Men Learning to Care Well
Many men in the communities are learning how to better care for their pregnant women.
A Helping Hand
Operation Mercy BLiSS projects continue to make a significant impact in Afghanistan. In 2017, over 2,800 women and 600 men participated and graduated in the 17-week BLiSS course in Afghanistan.