Specifically, UNFPA Rwanda, through the AIM for Change! Programme is supporting scholarships for bachelor’s and master’s midwifery students, developing an internationally aligned standardized curriculum, and distributing anatomical models for midwifery simulation training.
AIM for Change! is a two-year, USD $1 million initiative led by UNFPA Rwanda and funded by the Government of India, through the South-South Cooperation. The project aims to strengthen Rwanda’s midwifery education system and workforce to accelerate progress toward improved maternal and newborn health outcomes.
Through this initiative, midwifery students will receive scholarships to complete their education, addressing critical shortage gaps in the health workforce. The programme also supports institutional strengthening through South-South learning exchanges between Rwanda, India, and Ghana to enhance training quality and professional standards.
AIM for Change! is implemented in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, professional associations, and academic institutions. By investing in midwives, the programme contributes to long-term health system resilience and ensuring every childbirth is safe.
Programme Duration: 2025 - 2026
AIM for Change!
Advancing Rwanda’s Midwifery to Accelerate the Realization of Zero Preventable Maternal Deaths
Ensuring that midwives are educated, competent, well-resourced, and supported is central to addressing inequities in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) services. Midwives not only save lives but also improve women’s experiences of care by upholding their rights, ensuring respectful treatment, and empowering them to make informed decisions about their bodies.
Rwanda has made remarkable progress in reducing maternal mortality, with deaths per 100,000 live births declining from 1,071 in 2000 to 210 in 2015. However, progress has stalled since then, with 203 deaths recorded in 2020 and 105 in 2024, despite 93% of births occurring in health facilities. This plateau is largely attributed to a shortage of midwives, which continues to limit advances in maternal and newborn care as well as access to SRHR services.
With just one skilled health professional per 1,000 people, far below the WHO’s recommended minimum of four, the Government of Rwanda launched the “4x4 Strategy” to quadruple the healthcare workforce in four years, alongside improving infrastructure and streamlining service delivery. As part of this broader vision, the Government aims to reduce maternal mortality to 60 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 2028/29, and to fewer than 50 by 2050. UNFPA has been a key partner in this effort, working closely with the Ministry of Health and the Rwanda Association of Midwives to move towards zero preventable maternal deaths.
