A Quiet Revolution: The EMERGENCY Anabah Maternity Centre and women’s empowerment

The war in Afghanistan has caused huge material and human destruction. Millions of people have been killed, internally displaced or forced to flee the country. The national healthcare system is seriously damaged, which has affected women’s health especially. Maternal and neonatal health remains a major challenge in Afghanistan’s path towards equality and fulfillment of human rights. 1 in 18 children die before age of five, and most of them in their first year of life. Many of the factors that underlie these rates are preventable.  

This report is based on the views of female patients and health care workers at the Anabah Maternity Centre in rural Afghanistan. The centre was found to be an important factor for the empowerment of women in the area, providing opportunities for both adequate health care and professional attainment.