The examples below are a just a few of the hundreds of ways in which Medical Mission Sisters around the world try to be a healing presence to those in need today.

Since our earliest days, Medical Mission Sister nurse-midwives have been privileged to be with women during pregnancy and delivery. Over the years our professional schools of nursing and nurse-midwifery, and our training programs for Community Health Workers (CHWs) and Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs), have taught thousands of people how to care for those in need.

In Rubanda, Uganda, three of our Sisters recently initiated the Family Focused Safe Motherhood Project. Instead of starting a new group of only women, they decided to build on the skills of the already-trained Community Based Health Care Team.

"We did not want to separate the group that was working well together as a team, and we felt the men needed to be educators of safe motherhood, too," explains Sister Edith Dug-yi, who coordinated the project with Sisters Rose Kershbaumer and Joan Marie Doud.

In Mirpurkhas, Pakistan, Sister Philomena Faria teaches at St. Teresa's Hospital School of Midwifery. In Ethiopia, ob/gyn Sister-Doctor Rita Shiffer has helped to make Attat Hospital the center where traditional birth attendants and the surrounding clinics refer high-risk mothers. In Ghana, Sister Molly Koottunkal teaches midwifery students at Holy Family Hospital in Berekum. In the U.S., Sisters Teresita Hinnegan and Rose Kershbaumer recently retired after many years of service with the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Each was very personally involved in teaching nurse-midwives how to give mothers-to-be the best possible care.

The examples above are just a few of many from around the world. Whether in hands-on ministry, education or advocacy, we work toward the day when all women carrying, delivering and caring for babies can do so safely, with the health care support they need and deserve.

home     
e-mail mmsorg@medicalmissionsisters.org