WUNRN
Israeli-imposed
restrictions on Palestinians' freedom of movement, coupled with intermittent
military attacks, threaten the rights and well-being of Palestinian women, with
particular consequences to women's reproductive health.
The
Israeli military has destroyed or barricaded thousands of roads in the
Ambulances
are regularly detained by soldiers at checkpoints. As a result, dozens of
Palestinian women have been forced to give birth at Israeli military
checkpoints, resulting in the deaths of 20 women and 36 infants.
There has
been almost a fivefold increase in the number of pregnant women who received no
prenatal care due to military restrictions on the movement of women and
healthcare providers.
There has
been a dramatic increase in births that take place in unsafe conditions or
without a skilled health worker, increasing the danger to women during
pregnancy and childbirth, and creating enormous psychological strain for
women.
Midwives for Peace
is a grassroots group of 24 Palestinian and Israeli midwives supported by
MADRE. The midwives have come together to act on their commitment to
their profession and to peace.
They are working side by side to:
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Midwives
for Peace is a grassroots group of Palestinian and
Israeli midwives working together to ensure that childbirth is a joyous and
safe experience for women despite the armed conflict that surrounds them. Midwives for Peace saves
lives by providing critical pre-natal care and childbirth support to women in
the West Bank and
Together, Israeli and Palestinian midwives attend workshops and training
sessions, share their best practices and develop an understanding through a
common belief that regardless of the conflict raging around them, mothers and
newborns – whether Israeli or Palestinian – deserve to be safe.
By coming together from opposite sides of the Israel-Palestine border, Midwives for Peace is able
to fulfill an urgent humanitarian need, promote reproductive rights and build
peace.
Midwives
for Peace is one of the groups associated with the Interfaith Encounter
Association.
Dedicated
to peace and their profession, Midwives
for Peace provides midwives with resources, training and a network
of professionals dedicated to midwifery.
Through Midwives for Peace,
The Safe Birth Project enables Palestinian women who are in labor to deliver
safely despite Israeli military roadblocks and checkpoints that prevent or
dangerously delay them from reaching hospitals in the
Certified, well-equipped midwives help ensure healthy births for women and
their babies. And midwives give women the support they need for a joyful,
empowering experience of childbirth.
MADRE is
working with Midwives for
Peace to provide “safe birthing” medical kits to ensure a healthy
birth.
The Safe Birthing Kits
include:
Midwives
for Peace conducts trainings for midwives in both
MADRE is
working with Midwives for
Peace to provide women who attend the sessions with contraceptives
and literature about family planning.
The
Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS) is a grassroots, community-based Palestinian health
organization. PMRS was founded in 1979 by a group of Palestinian doctors and
health professionals committed to providing health services to women and families
in
One of the
biggest threats to public health in Palestine is the Israeli military
occupation, which has undermined overall health by exacerbating poverty and
malnutrition, and blocked people's access to health service by restricting the
right to travel - sometimes even from one village to the next. In addition, the
Israeli military has launched attacks on hospitals, clinics, ambulances and the
Palestinian Ministry of Health.
PMRS programs
emphasize prevention, education, community participation, and the empowerment
of people. PMRS
doctors and health workers believe that health is a starting point for
community development. By working with young people and supporting community
institutions, PMRS
is involved in many aspects of community life.
PMRS health programs focus on the needs of the most
vulnerable members of Palestinian society: women, children, and the poor in
rural villages, refugee camps, and urban centers. PMRS runs a network of health care centers,
most of which are located in rural and marginalized areas. These centers offer
services in general medicine, women's health, child health, the management of
chronic diseases, emergency care, and they provide medications. PMRS mobile clinics serve
people who cannot access health care centers because of Israeli restrictions on
movement, such as military curfews.
Zakher Association for the Development of Palestinian
Women’s Capacity was founded and is
run by women in
MADRE is
working with the Zakher
Association to provide communities in
Since
2006, Zakher has
provided women and families with free health care in partnership with the
Zakher works to empower women in the community through literacy
courses and trainings on human rights, legal and electoral rights and conflict
resolution. The organization also provides computer literacy classes to women
of all ages.
Zakher facilitates
a project for women to learn traditional Palestinian embroidery. This project
has the dual purpose of providing women with an income-generating skill and
preserving a traditional Palestinian art form.
Zakher works in
kindergartens in