Meet Our Midwives



 

Maternity and Learning Center Team

Namusisi Mary- Head Midwife

Shanti Uganda is very excited to welcome Sister Mary as the new head midwife to our team of dedicated staff! With more than thirty-three years as a

midwife, a diploma in leadership management, and the 2005 award for Best Midwife in Africa from Save the Children, one could say she is plenty qualified for the post!! Having participated in conferences for midwifery in the Philippines, Scotland, South Africa and London, Sister Mary is no stranger superior standards of performance.

She began her Elementary level exams in 1975 and says that growing up she had never been to a hospital, but when she first laid eyes on the uniforms and respect that was received by the distinguished nurses she knew that she would someday be one of them. Sister Mary is always on the go; at fifty-two she has three well-educated children and runs her own maternity clinic in her home district, in addition to going above and beyond her responsibilities to Shanti Uganda. Most recently Sister Mary held the position of UPMA (Uganda Private Midwives Association) Programs Coordinator where she directed fund proposals, advised and trained midwives at private clinics and performed needs assessments. 


Florence- Traditional Birth Attendant & Birth House Support 

Florence began her training as a Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) in 2001, with the NGO SOU in Nakeseke District. Her interest stemmed from childhood when she assisted her grandmother, who was also a TBA, in gathering herbs. She was never allowed in the room, but was always very curious about how the “baby came out of the belly button” as she had been told. When SOU came into her community asking for TBAs she signed up for the tr

aining for she had already assisted in three deliveries. She remains to this day extremely proud of her certificate.

Florence wears many hats; as a mother of eight she manages to remain quite active in her community as a village health team member, a counselor for children and families, a trainer of trainees, as well as finding time to tend to a large garden and animals! At Shanti, Florence works as the centre’s TBA as well as assists in teaching teen girls workshops and contributes as a resource for mobilizing the surrounding villages, and is always available for birth house support! She has been with Shanti since the days of construction and wears that as a badge of honour!

Nakityo Sarah- Junior Midwife

Though Sarah has not been with Shanti long, she expresses how she has enjoyed her time thus far. At twenty-three years old, Sarah is charismatic and never misses a beat; she is a ball of energy and is always in the mood for conversation! She studied at Orient Medical School in Masaka where she fulfilled a lifelong goal. She grew up with a mamma who worked hard as a nurse midwife and Sarah knew she wanted to be just like her. Sarah says that her plans for the future are to save so she will be able to continue school and after beginning her family she will one day hopefully open her own clinic!




Namkianga Martha

Martha is the proud mamma of her second baby born with help of loving Shanti midwife hands! Martha has been a midwife in the local area for seven years. Before coming to Shanti she worked at a variety of places and jobs, including a pharmacy, a hospital, and private clinics. Martha studied at Ibanda School of Nursing and Midwifery, and expresses that she cannot explain why she loves midwifery, only that is simply something she feels! She wants to assist mothers because of the great need that exists. On her free time Martha says she consults her midwifery handbook for fear of forgetting or losing her skills!



Nambwere Joyce

Joyce was born in Kalagala, Luwero. She has just completed her training in Kiwoko School of Enrolled Comprehensive Nursing as a Comprehensive Enrolled Midwife.

Joyce values greatly the ability to help mothers deliver their children safely, and hopes to learn much by working with Shanti. She is eager to share knowledge with, and learn from, the traditional birth attendants, and the entire community.

Joyce is a thrill to be around, in and out of the birthing room! Ever eager to lend a hand, she attributes her passion for midwifery to her mother who works as a midwife as well. Joyce is twenty-seven and is a junior midwife that came to Shanti from Kinoko School of Nursing and Midwifery. She plans to save her income and return to school to become a registered midwife. She says that she is grateful for working at Shanti as her first place of employment where she has already learned so much in her short time as a midwife. When asked her favorite part of midwifery, she exclaims, “Attending to mothers!”

Namuleme Ssanyu

Ssanyu was born in Luwero district and trained at Mengo School of Nursing and Midwifery.  She was also trained in counselling with Uganda Youth Empowerment Scheme.

Ssanyu says she and a friend heard about Shanti through an advertisement on the radio, and shortly after applied for staff positions. She is twenty-three years old, and the mother of one of the first babies born to staff at Shanti, Honey! She became a midwife because of an experience she went through when she was still in school. She assisted her young pregnant friend to the hospital where her friend was treated harshly and with very little respect. Throughout the whole ordeal, she thought to herself how unnecessary it was. She decided to do something about it and became a midwife! She speaks of the respect women deserve while giving birth, and about the world of midwifery with great adoration. She expresses how she fell in love with midwifery while attending Mengo Hospital Training School, and continues to be enamored by it today!

Sister Florence

Sister Florence comes to Shanti Uganda with many years in the Maternal Health Care field under her belt. She started by earning her Midwifery Degree in 1970, and in 1975 as a Public Health Nurse. Since then she has worked out of many sub-district health centres and hospitals in Luwero District. During her career, she has not only practiced as a Midwife, but has trained TBA's, organized health education workshops in homes, schools and clinics, and has worked in the village providing home visits and follow up appointments to pre and post natal mothers. Living only a short distance from the Shanti site, Sister Florence is very happy to be helping people so close to home. She is also excited about learning new things from Shanti Uganda including yoga, birth positions, and herbal remedies and believes that these holistic birth practices will help the Midwives and their clients have a positive birth experience. With five children and five grandchildren, Sister Florence often has a busy household. She says that playing with her grand babies keeps her young and has been enjoying teaching them yoga! Sister Florence boasts that one of the joys in her life has been seeing all of the babies she has delivered grow into wonderful people. 


Mpungu Emma - Lab Technician

Emma works as the lab technician at Shanti Uganda and has been doing so since September 2010. He studied Orthopedics in Kiwoko and volunteered for two years with an organization as a physio-assistant. He realized that there was no work to be found in orthopedics, and after receiving sponsorship decided to return to school to study laboratory sciences. He came to Shanti after hearing an announcement in Kasana with hopes of finding a job. When he was told there was no position for a lab technician he questioned why a maternity centre would not plan for a laboratory. He wrote a proposal highlighting the need for a lab technician, and obviously made a persuasive argument because a year later and Emma can still be found drawing blood and testing samples daily.