Imaging the World
in Malawi

The Situation in sub-Saharan Africa and Malawi

Despite making significant economic and structural reforms to sustain economic growth, Malawi remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Agriculture employs over 80% of the population, and it is vulnerable to natural disasters and disease. Maternal and infant mortality rates are among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa.

Women in sub-Saharan Africa are 20 times more likely to die in child-birth.

Additionally 90% of healthcare workers work in urban areas, while 90% of the population lives rurally. This results in a critical lack of access to necessary diagnostic and healthcare services.

Sub-Saharan Africa alone accounts for 70% of global maternal deaths.

Our Success in Malawi

ITW Africa - Malawi initiated training in Mangochi District in 2017 and expanded to Blantyre District in 2021. Overall, 30 healthcare providers in rural facilities have been trained in basic obstetric point-of-care ultrasound. Midwives now have the skills to identify high-risk pregnancies and refer the mothers to hospitals when appropriate. We have successfully provided basic ultrasound access to over 500,000 people in Malawi.

Empowering Healthcare
in Malawi

Imaging the World Africa (ITWA) Malawi started its training project in Mangochi District in January 2020. Initially 9 nurse midwives and 6 mentors were trained at St Martins Hospital, Namwera Health Center and Mangochi Maternity Wing, with support from Warm Hearts Foundation.

In 2021, ITW was awarded a Grand Challenges Africa (African Academy of Sciences) grant that supported expansion to three new sites in Mangochi and Blantyre Districts. In this second cohort, 9 nurse midwives were trained and 6 mentors making a total of 30 healthcare providers trained.

In 2022, we successfully completed training of 20 nurses in obstetrical and gynecological ultrasound scanning. Our screen and refer program at the lower level facilities is conducted under the supervision of ultrasound mentors, who also received advanced training by Imaging the World.

The training gave nurse midwives skills to identify high risk mothers through ultrasound scanning and refer them to a health facility for further management. This was done under supervision of their mentors who were also trained by Imaging the World.

ITW has successfully provided basic ultrasound access to over 500,000 people in Malawi.

Successful Partnerships

Imaging the World Africa - Malawi works in partnership with the Government of Malawi through the Ministry of Health, Department of Reproductive Health Services, Mangochi District Health Office and Blantyre District Health Office.

ITW also engaged regulatory bodies and key stakeholders in Malawi, including:

Nurses and Midwives Council of Malawi and Medical Council of Malawi
Ministry of Health Directors for Reproductive Health
Director for Nursing and Midwifery Services
Director for Health Technical Service

Our Great Achievements

In 2022, 17 nurse midwives and 10 mentors graduated from the training program in Malawi. The graduation ceremony included:

Kamuzu University of Health Sciences
Association of Malawian Midwives
Association of Obs and Gyn Doctors
Blantyre and Mangochi District Health Offices
Johns Hopkins, DIPLOMAT, Butterfly
Nurses and Midwives Council
Medical Council of Malawi
and representatives from Ministry of Health.

The Guest of honour was the Director for Clinical Services in the Ministry of Health. All speakers applauded ITW for the project and are pushing for more funds to ensure that other districts benefit from ITW’s work.

The District Health Office Representatives, mentors and mentees were all grateful for the training support and encourage further funding to provide training for their colleagues. They are fully committed to serving pregnant women with gratitude.

Continuing Challenges

Post COVID-19, systems continue to impact maternal and child health with some clients failing to access health services and opting to go only in an emergency
Cyclones and Floods have affected most sites including Blantyre and Mangochi with poor damaged road networks impacting program mentorship and supervision

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