Nueve Lunas, S.C.

Located in Oaxaca, Mexico, Nueve Lunas is a midwifery advocacy and training center and a strong leader for midwifery in the country. With this project, Nueve Lunas is creating Spanish-language educational materials based on international midwifery requirements and complemented by national midwifery practices for use by midwifery training programs. The project also seeks to increase recognition for midwifery in Oaxaca and bridge professional and traditional midwifery. In collaboration with a group of indigenous lawyers, Nueve Lunas is exploring how to use current national and international laws that protect and promote indigenous cultures and norms to help legitimize midwifery, and expand the hiring of midwives by the public health system, especially in Oaxaca state.

Nueve Lunas is one of the leading organizations promoting midwifery and respectful care during childbirth in Oaxaca. This grant will support increased recognition of professional midwifery and improved quality of primary maternal health care in Mexico. The project includes a communications campaign to generate a positive perception of professional midwifery among health professionals and the public; advocacy efforts towards improved maternal health care at primary level; and the consolidation of professional midwifery in Oaxaca as replicable model.

To improve the delivery of skilled attendance at birth in rural indigenous areas of Oaxaca and generating support for midwifery training systems (over two years).

In support of improving skilled attendance at birth in rural indigenous areas of Oaxaca and generating support for midwifery training systems (over two years).

For a project to reduce maternal deaths in Oaxaca State (over three years).