NewLife International School of Midwifery

Every minute, at least one woman dies from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth – that means 529,000 women die every year according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

In addition, for every woman who dies in childbirth, around 20 more suffer injury, infection or disease – approximately 10 million women each year. Most of these deaths are avoidable and could be prevented by having a trained birthing attendant available.

The purpose of Newlife International School of Midwifery is to provide the opportunity for students to learn valuable midwifery skills while at the same time making a difference in the world.

'While motherhood is often a positive and fulfilling experience, for too many women it is associated with suffering, ill-health and even death. The major direct causes of maternal morbidity and mortality include haemorrhage, infection, high blood pressure, unsafe abortion, and obstructed labour.' Source: World Health Organization

Here in the Philippines for example, only 60% of women give birth with the assistance of a trained and qualified birth attendant. The maternal mortality rate in the Philippines is 200 deaths per 100,000 live births* compared to that of 20 deaths in developed nations. In Southeast Asia a woman has a 1 in 140 chance of dying as a result of childbirth complications compared to developed nations rating of 1 in 2,800. Under 5-years old mortality rate and infant mortality rate is 33 per 1,000 in the Philippines.

Due to the unique set-up and location of our facility we are well equipped to train midwives to work in developing countries. Each student acquires valuable experience in providing maternal/newborn health care cross-culturally to families living in poverty. We desire that our graduates might consider volunteering for other medical mission organizations working in countries where the need for skilled midwives is so prevalent.

A big part of our vision is to train and equip interested students to start their own birthing centers in other third-world countries. Our midwifery program will provide each graduate with the necessary skills and knowledge to practice anywhere in the world. Being a midwife opens many doors to countless opportunities. Some of our students have gone into other countries such as Nigeria, Afghanistan, Nepal, India, China, Yemen and some have chosen to return to the Philippines to work alongside us.

Therefore, we are looking for the best because we view our involvement and commitment to our students extending far beyond their granduation. Presently we have many more people applying to the school than we have open positions for enrollment. We are obviously seeking students that enjoy a healthy relationship with the Lord. And, we place a very high value on personal integrity and an ability to socially interact with others in a way that honors and respects our fellow man.

"There is a unique beauty that a midwife holds within
the context of cross-cultural Christian missions."

We believe that Christian midwives command a viable asset to the world Christian movement specifically involving foreign missions. It is our hope that the respective home churches of our students will recognize and embrace the enormous potential that an equipped and skilled midwife offers to their vision and commitment to world missions.

As we state, the entire context of Newlife School of Midwifery is fully immersed on the mission field. We feel the Biblical model of missions is primarily the extension of the local church body. Therefore, we are specifically seeking students that enjoy a healthy relationship with their home church. As part of our Financial Aid we offer a specifically developed grant that actually offers a scholarship complimenting this premise called The Directors Grant. This grant seeks to legitimize the role of a midwife as she is identified and connected to the cross-cultural mission vision of the student's local church.

The world is changing every day and doors are closing to the typical western missionary. However, those doors remain very open to health care specialists especially in light of the global challenges of inadequate maternal and newborn health care.

"A Christian midwife is undoubtedly a viable
cross-cultural missions commodity."

The beauty of midwifery within the context of cross-cultural Christian missions is simply this; there are no cultural, religious or political barriers to expressing the compassion and mercy of Jesus Christ demonstrated through the hands of a Christian midwife. This reality is enhanced by the simple fact that it extends out to the family of the midwife's patient and subsequently grants access of her Christian witness into the patient's home. This exact story has been played out tens of thousands of times here in the Philippines involving our midwife students and their patients.

A Christian midwife is undoubtedly a viable cross-cultural missions commodity. Our mission is to serve as a catalyst to see that vision come to fruition!

A Philippine saying goes: “A woman giving birth has her one foot in the grave.” This gloomily illustrates the danger a woman goes through to bring another human into this world.

Probablity of dying for a child less than 5 years old born to a woman with the lowest educational level in Philippine society: 104.7 in 1,000 births. Source: World Health Organization