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Midwives - Cox Bazaar  ·  Bangladesh

Midwives of Cox's Bazar

"I am midwife, with women for a lifetime..."

Midwives of Cox Bazaar
Providing Maternal Health Care with dedication and humanity

Over 60,000 babies were born in Cox’s Bazar in 2018 — a number expected to be exceeded in 2019. Hope Foundation, based in Bangladesh’s massive refugee camp, will train several hundred midwives over the next few years to be at the forefront of the birthing crisis in Cox’s Bazar. Local medical experts calculate that throughout their 30-year careers these midwives will bring down the maternal mortality rate from 194 to 35/100,000 births and infant mortality from 52 to 12/1,000 and save over 36,000 lives. The “Midwifery Diploma Program” is funded by the British Department for International development in partnership with BRAC University.

Citing their “Midwifery Pledge” and dressed in their bright pink uniforms, these young female recruits are training to become midwives in Cox’s Bazar, the world’s largest refugee camp, where over 90% of the women give birth at home, without the attendance of skilled healthcare workers. This growing force of midwives will make a difference in saving the lives of thousands of mothers and their babies and in transitioning delivery from a risk to a beautiful experience.

Midwifery Pledge

As I enter the midwifery profession, I pledge to:

Use all the knowledge, skills, and understanding that I possess

when providing professional midwifery care.

Deliver midwifery care non-judgmentally and to all those who require it,

to the best of my ability.

As a midwife I will refrain from any action which might be harmful

to the quality of life or health of those I care for.

As a midwife I will treat each client with respect.

As a midwife I will hold in professional confidence all the personal information entrusted to me.

As a midwife I will keep my professional knowledge and skills at the highest level and give my support and cooperation to all members of the health care team.

As a midwife I will contribute to the advancement of the midwifery profession.

I am midwife, with women for a lifetime.

Citing their “Midwife Oath” and dressed in their bright pink uniforms, these young women are training to become midwives in Cox’s Bazar, the world’s largest refugee camp, where over 90% of the women give birth at home, without the attendance of skilled healthcare workers. These midwives will make a difference in saving the lives of thousands of mothers and their babies and in transitioning delivery from a risk to a beautiful experience.

Informed Consent

Our team members obtain informed consent from each individual before an interview takes place. Individuals dictate where their stories may be shared and what personal information they wish to keep private. In situations where the individual is at risk and/or wishes to remain anonymous, alias names are used and other identifying information is removed from interviews immediately after they are received by TSOS. We have also committed not to use refugee images or stories for fundraising purposes without explicit permission. Our top priority is to protect and honor the wishes of our interview subjects.

What would you do if you had to leave everything behind?

By the end of 2024, more than 123.2 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced from their homes due to war, persecution, or human rights abuses.

An increase of 7.2 million over 2023, that’s more than 19,619 people every day — roughly one person every 4.4 seconds.

They arrive in refugee camps and other countries, like the US, seeking the one thing they’ve lost: safety.

Fleeing political imprisonment, ethnic violence, religious persecution, gang threats, or war crimes, they come with what little they managed to carry:

Legal papers – if they’re lucky.

A single backpack.

Sometimes a child’s hand in theirs.

They also carry the weight of what they left behind: fractured families, homes they’ll never return to, professions they loved, friends and relatives they may never see again.

They carry loss most of us can’t imagine – but also the truth of what they’ve endured.

At TSOS, we believe stories are a form of justice. When someone shares their experience of forced displacement, they reclaim their voice. And when we amplify that voice – through film, photography, writing, and advocacy – the world listens. Hearts soften. Communities open. Policy begins to shift.

That shift matters. Because when neighbors understand instead of fear…

when lawmakers see people, not politics…

when a teacher knows what her student has survived…

Rebuilding life from the ashes becomes possible.

We’re fighting an uphill battle. In today’s political climate, refugee stories are often twisted or ignored. They’re reduced to statistics, portrayed as national threats, or used to score political points.

The truth – the human, nuanced truth – gets lost, and when it does, we lose compassion.

We are here to share their truth anyway.

At TSOS, we don’t answer to headlines or algorithms. We are guided by a simple conviction: every person deserves to be seen, heard, and welcomed.

Our work is powered by the people we meet — refugees and asylum seekers rebuilding after loss, allies offering sanctuary, and communities daring to extend belonging.

Your support helps us share their stories — and ensure they’re heard where they matter most.

“What ultimately persuaded the judge wasn’t a legal argument. It was her story.”

— Kristen Smith Dayley, Executive Director, TSOS

Will you help us keep telling the truth?

No donation is too small — and it only takes a minute of your time.

Why give monthly?

We value every gift, but recurring contributions allow us to plan ahead and invest more deeply in:

  • New refugee storytelling and advocacy projects
  • Resources to train and equip forcibly displaced people to share their own stories
  • Public education that challenges fear with empathy
  • Local efforts that help communities welcome and integrate newcomers

As our thank-you, monthly supporters receive fewer fundraising messages — and more stories of the impact they’re making possible.

You don’t have to be displaced to stand with those who are.

Can you give today — and help carry these stories forward?

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