Twenty-five new midwives graduated in Pétion-Ville on Sunday, October 4, at a ceremony held by the National Higher Institute for Midwifery Training and the Ministry of Public Health.

The graduates trained at the institute's West hub. The program is supported by UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, and by Canada.

Haiti has one of the highest rates of maternal death in the Americas, and many women give birth without a trained attendant. Trained midwives can handle most normal births and recognize complications early.

The need has grown as violence closes hospitals and displaces families. About 1.5 million Haitians have been forced from their homes, and many pregnant women in displacement sites have little access to care.