Sanag Health Project: Khadra’s experience

Khadra Ismail Abdi is a 32-year-old midwife and mother who lives in Erigavo. She has been serving as a midwife at the Erigavo General Hospital for the past couple of years. Khadra studied midwifery at Sanaag University in Erigavo and completed her first midwifery diploma from Adna Hospital University in 2012. In an interview about her educational background, Khadra said, "It was my dream to become a midwife, and I started to work towards achieving this goal."

She returned to Erigavo after completing her diploma and began volunteering at the General Hospital to serve her community. Khadra was then employed as a midwifery nurse. Today a total of 13 staff including midwives and trained nurses are working in the maternity unit.

In 2017, the Somaliland Development Fund (SDF1) invested in rebuilding the hospital, which was in dire need of renovation. The midwifery department was rebuilt and equipped with new health equipment, including delivery beds and all necessary medical equipment such as monitors to assess the pregnant mother's health. A delivery bed, cabinet, medicine, office furniture, and other essentials required for mothers to give birth safely were also supplied. 

"SDF's funding changed the entire hospital a lot; resources, power, and knowledge were all upgraded. SDF support especially benefitted the mothers who give birth here” says Khadra.

The SDF-funded health project also provided midwifery training to five employees in the department to enhance their skills and incentives were paid during the project time. 

"I attended two training courses funded by the SDF, they increased my knowledge related to midwifery and developed my experience enabling me to help all mothers and babies who were admitted to the hospital," says Khadra.

"Every day, we admit many mothers from Erigavo town and its surrounding villages. After mothers arrive at the delivery unit, a medical examination is conducted to check their health condition, and they are treated well. If a mother is ready to give birth, she is taken to the delivery room."

*Erigavo General Hospital was part of health projects funded by SDF under its first phase. Today, the hospital is fully functional and serves Erigavo town and other villages and districts in Sanag region.