A midwifery school in a Ugandan village is giving hope back to women and the entire community. A photographic account of a Fondazione Ambrosoli project.
Sister Carmel recounts that her surname, Abwot, means "I have escaped." It had been chosen by her mother in honour of her husband, who had escaped from rebels on the day of her birth. For Sister Carmel, however, it has a different meaning: "everything works out" — and her attitude proves it every day. Sister Carmel is a survivor, a rock; her mission is to alleviate suffering and bring joy. Her smile is radiant, her laugh loud.
Kalongo is a village in northern Uganda, close to the border with South Sudan. It lies beneath Mount Oret, in a remote area roughly two hours by car — along dirt roads — from the nearest town. Sister Carmel Abwot is a Comboni nun who arrived here in 1992. A midwife at the Dr. Ambrosoli Memorial Hospital and, later, a teacher at St. Mary Midwifery School, the midwifery school beside the hospital. During the civil war, when rebel raids threatened the village, Sister Carmel had decided not to flee; she then became director of the school and, guided solely by her dedication to the training of her students, she stayed with them. She has continued to devote herself to them and to the school, without interruption, for 25 years.
The burden on African women is enormous, and Uganda is no exception. Often married off when very young, it is their husbands who decide how many children they will have. It is women who provide for the family: they work in the fields, ensuring food and education for their children. Women are everything in African culture, yet they have no voice. Their health is often neglected even during the delicate period of pregnancy and, for cultural or logistical reasons, they do not always make it to hospital to give birth. This situation makes maternal mortality in Uganda exceptionally high: 360 women (per 100,000 live births) die in childbirth every year. Sister Carmel works to bring about long-term change that, she argues, "can only happen through educating women towards economic and decision-making autonomy." Starting with her own students, she tries to instil in them midwifery skills, but also dignity as women. She works not only to train them and transform them into professionals, but also to prepare them for the life that awaits them.
Sister Carmel loves to teach and her enthusiasm is infectious. Her lessons frequently break into laughter and applause. She is very demanding, and her authority — built through her daily self-giving — is unquestioned. Many of her students have desperate stories behind them, and many are orphans. The majority can count on scholarships funded by donors that allow them to build a future that is autonomous and economically independent.
Their training is fundamental to saving mothers and children, and extends well beyond midwifery alone — despite the many situations in which a midwife may be the only qualified healthcare worker available. They work and train on rotation across all wards of the Dr. Ambrosoli Memorial Hospital, becoming skilled staff: strong women, aware of their role and its importance.
Sister Carmel speaks with immense joy about the success of her students — 150 at present — and of the midwifery school, which is the most important in sub-Saharan Africa. The demand for midwives is very high in Uganda, and many students already have a job assigned at health centres and clinics across the country even before they graduate. This is how Sister Carmel is helping to change her country, one midwife at a time.