File:Nefisa her husband and healthy baby (15789518678).jpg

Nefisa is a 24-year-old farmer who lives in the Oromia Region. Five years ago, she gave birth to her first child at home, which is the customary practice. Mothers feel more comfortable at home. However, her labor was prolonged and it was a difficult birth and bore risks to her and to her newborn. Due to that experience, Nefisa took advantage of the advice of health extension workers and the Last Ten Kilometers project, who encouraged her about the safety of delivering at a health center. Many women fear mistreatment at impersonal health centers and are reluctant to go. In Ethiopia, births without the support of a professionally trained birth attendant or midwife account for a high rate of newborn and maternal deaths or birth injuries.

Three weeks after Nefisa delivered a healthy baby at the Shebe Health Center, she happily relates with her husband at her side how everything went smoothly and swiftly. She was especially impressed with the efficiency of Abdulahi Abaselam, the professionally trained birth attendant, who, untypically was a male, and how assuring he was. Abdulahi received basic emergency obstetric and newborn care training provided by the Last Ten Kilometers project, which receives USAID support and is implemented by JSI.