International Women’s Day: Women Inspiring Women for Good
Published on March 5, 2024
Women helping other women has been a cornerstone of global health and development since the beginning of time. But, on March 8, which is International Women’s Day, we spotlight those women who inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion. Here at MOMENTUM we have a unique vantage point to the hard work and power of women inspiring others.
Our mission is to work with partners in 42 countries to strengthen the capacity and resilience of local institutions for healthier mothers and children. Each project is as unique as the partners, governments, and citizens of each country. But the common thread is that women are integrated into the planning, development, and implementation of each project, placing them at the center of the work and impact. As we approach International Women’s Day, we would like to share just a few of the moments that illustrate the wonder of women inspiring others.
In Ghana: Midwives are not just health workers; they are also mothers, sisters, neighbors, and trusted companions of women during pregnancy and childbirth. When a woman delivers in Essipon, a small community in Sekondi, Ghana, local midwife Juliana Brient is likely to know her name, where she lives, and how she is faring. As a mother of two, as well as a midwife, Juliana is familiar with the experience of expectant, recently delivered, and breastfeeding mothers. However, the COVID-19 pandemic presented Juliana and her team with a new challenge: maintaining essential health care services for expectant and new mothers during a pandemic. Through MOMENTUM Country and Global Leadership, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) provided training to health care workers to maintain essential primary health care services amid the pandemic. The three-month virtual training, organized through Zoom, reached 240 frontline health workers – including Juliana and 43 other midwives – in the Western Region of Ghana. Despite overstretched health systems, stay-at-home orders, and fear of virus transmission, Juliana and other midwives courageously risked their health to bring new lives safely into the world. Thanks to their brave service, 12 women delivered successfully at the Essipon Health Center in January and February 2021 at the peak of the pandemic.
Juliana Brient
Profession Midwife
Location Essipon, Ghana
When a woman delivers in her community, Juliana Brient likely knows her name, where she lives, and how she is faring. But when the COVID-19 pandemic began, Juliana and her team faced the challenge of maintaining essential health services for expecting mothers.
Juliana Brient
Profession Midwife
Location Essipon, Ghana
Juliana attended a three-month virtual training organized by MOMENTUM Country and Global Leadership and the Ghana Health Service, where she and 43 other midwives learned how to maintain essential primary health services during the pandemic. Thanks to this training and the brave service of Juliana’s team, 12 women delivered successfully at the Essipon Health Center in January and February 2021, the peak of the pandemic.
In India: Forty-three-year old Toshila Tirkey of Hurhuri Panchayat, Ratu Block, Ranchi, Jharkhand hails from a small village where gender-based violence (GBV) is quite common. Toshila explains, “Harmful gender norms contribute to gender-based violence due to alcoholism and early marriage of girls.” Even though Toshila wanted to help women in her village, she did not know how. Fortunately, she attended a training by MOMENTUM Safe Surgery in Family Planning and Obstetrics about GBV prevention and response strategies. Post-training, Toshila said she felt more capable and was able to empathize more with GBV incidents. She began using different village-level forums like self-help group meetings and village health and sanitation days to spread awareness among community members. They, in turn, help themselves and can stand up for each other in such situations. Through August 2023, MOMENTUM trained over 78,000 community health workers and supervisors in GBV prevention, referral, and response.
Toshila Tirkey
Profession Community Health Worker
Location Hurhuri Panchayat, Jharkhand, India
In Toshila’s small village, GBV is quite common due to factors like harmful gender norms, alcoholism, and early marriage. Toshila wanted to help women in her village, but didn’t know how.
Toshila Tirkey
Profession Community Health Worker
Location Hurhuri Panchayat, Jharkhand, India
Toshila attended a training about GBV prevention led by MOMENTUM Safe Surgery in Family Planning and Obstetrics. She began sharing what she learned at different forums throughout her village, empowering her fellow community members to help themselves and stand up for each other. Through August 2023, MOMENTUM trained over 78,000 community health workers on GBV prevention, referral, and response.
In Malawi: Community volunteers play a crucial role in helping women access family planning services in the lakeshore district of Mangochi, Malawi. Known in her community as ‘Eliza,’ Elizabeth Abasi is a 25-year-old interpersonal communication agent (IPC) – or mobilizer — who works in the Makawa area located along beautiful Lake Malawi. Her goal is to encourage people, especially young people, in the community to access voluntary, integrated family planning services provided by mobile outreach teams in remote areas of the district. Prior to participating in IPC refresher training supported by MOMENTUM Private Healthcare Delivery, Eliza says she was uncomfortable approaching people regarding family planning and other sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues. “I had no confidence to explain and answer questions to do with family planning and integrated SRH services because of my own knowledge gaps and lack of public speaking skills,” she explained. Since the training, Eliza has more than doubled the number of clients she brings to the mobile outreach clinics. She enjoys this work, saying, “As a young woman, I take pride in seeing adolescent girls having easy access to contraceptives which reduces cases of teenage pregnancies and school dropouts in our community.”
Eliza Abasi
Profession IPC Agent
Location Makawa, Malawi
As an IPC agent, 25-year-old Eliza’s goal is to encourage people in her community to access voluntary, integrated family planning services provided by mobile outreach teams in remote areas of the district. However, Eliza felt uncomfortable approaching people about family planning and reproductive health issues.
Eliza Abasi
Profession Interpersonal Communication Agent
Location Makawa, Malawi
Eliza participated in an IPC refresher training offered by MOMENTUM Private Healthcare Delivery, where she increased her knowledge about sexual and reproductive health topics and built her public speaking skills. Since the training, Eliza has more than doubled the number of clients she brings to mobile outreach clinics.