Empowering Future Midwives Through Mentorship
This is the story of Eden, a dedicated and passionate 24-year-old midwife mentee, and her experienced midwife mentor, 36-year-old Andinet, and the power of their partnership.
The story takes place in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia – a country with a critical need for skilled midwifery care to combat maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity.
To address these challenges, Maternity Foundation, alongside partnering organizations, support the implementation of Ethiopia’s national mentorship programme which aims to strengthen midwifery capacity, ultimately ensuring safer births for mothers and babies across Ethiopia. Through structured and personalised guidance, less experienced midwives are receiving the professional support they need to develop their midwifery skills, knowledge and confidence.
Eden, originally from Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, pursued her education at one of the region’s larger cities, Axum.
“I was inspired to become a midwife after a tragedy in my own family—my uncle’s wife died from postpartum bleeding. It was devastating. I chose this path to help ensure that no woman, and no family, must go through a loss like that again”, Eden explains.
In Axum, Eden built a strong foundation of theoretical knowledge during her studies. However, when entering clinical practice, she realised that she lacked some of the practical experience needed to confidently apply her skills in real-life situations.
Her journey toward becoming a confident midwife truly began at Lemi Kura Health Center in a sub-city of Addis Ababa. Here, she met Andinet, an experienced midwife with 16 years of practice. Recognising Eden’s potential, Andinet took her under her wing as part of Ethiopia’s national mentorship programme, guiding her through ten months of structured mentorship.
Through the programme, Eden received hands-on guidance, coaching, and practical training designed to strengthen the clinical skills she had previously felt were missing. A key part of this learning process was the integration of Maternity Foundation’s evidence-based job aid, the Safe Delivery App.
The Safe Delivery App is a training and microlearning tool that supports midwives and other healthcare professionals in providing high-quality preventive, routine, and emergency care during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. The app is free and works offline once downloaded, making it accessible anytime and anywhere—even in settings with limited internet connectivity.
For Eden, the app became a valuable source of guidance alongside her mentorship, offering immediate support when her mentor was not available. For Andinet, it also became an effective teaching tool, helping mentees prepare for training sessions in advance and review procedures afterward to strengthen their understanding.
Over the course of the mentorship, Eden experienced a remarkable transformation. The uncertainty she once felt gradually gave way to confidence and independence. With the support of her mentor and the practical learning opportunities provided through the programme, she developed the skills needed to manage births and complications on her own.
Today, Eden has assisted in hundreds of deliveries and approaches her work with confidence and calmness.
For Andinet, witnessing this development is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a mentor. She remains in contact with many of her mentees through the messaging app Telegram, continuing to support them as they grow in their profession.
Through experiences like Eden’s, Andinet sees firsthand how the mentorship programme creates lasting impact. By connecting experienced and newly trained midwives, the programme strengthens skills, builds confidence, and fosters supportive professional networks—ultimately contributing to safer births for women and newborns.
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