The History of IMA
Conception
2004
Born in 2003 and incorporated in 2004, IMA was created by a group of Colorado women alarmed by the dismal state of maternal/child health in Afghanistan. Conceived by writer and activist Jennifer Heath, IMA was implemented by Carmela Weber, who later became IMA’s board president, Dr. Claudia Wyrick, IMA's current board president, Judy Hussie, who wrote the first grant proposal to fund a project, and midwives Jan Lapetino and Jennifer Braun, today IMA’s executive director. Together, Carmela, Jan and Jennifer traveled to Afghanistan in 2004 and worked in a variety of settings. They met the people in Bamiyan Province who they would go on to partner with to found the Bamiyan Community Midwife Program.
Afghanistan: Training Midwives
2004
Soon afterward, IMA incorporated and began educating midwives in Bamiyan, Afghanistan. Students of the Community Midwife Training Program were recruited from rural villages to participate in the 18-month program, with a commitment to return to their home villages to practice. Big partners provided the infrastructure, IMA provided the instructors. They provided clinical mentorship, and just as vital, they modeled kindness, compassion and strong ethics for the students.
Afghanistan: Midwives Graduate
2006
IMA midwives worked hard to support the development of high-quality solo practitioners. In spring of 2006, all 22 midwifery students graduated.
Today, the graduates continue to practice in rural Bamiyan Province, and often are the only health care provider in their communities. When IMA arrived in Afghanistan, the country's maternal mortality ratio was the highest in the world. That was primarily due to a lack of skilled care providers. After midwifery education was established, Afghanistan no longer appeared on the list of the ten countries with the highest rates of maternal mortality. Unfortunately, under the current government, the numbers of mothers dying has increased dramatically. That has happened at the same time that midwifery schools have been closed. The Bamiyan Community Midwife Training Program thrived until the second Taliban take-over in 2021. We look forward to the day we can return to Bamiyan.
Haiti: Establishment of Women’s Health Groups
2007
IMA partnered with the Colorado Haiti Project beginning in 2007 to implement the vision of Dr. Warren Berggren. Dr. Berggren, who had been a major force in international health and development during his long career, committed a lot of time to the Colorado Haiti Project after he “retired.” He helped women in the Petit Tru de Nippes area of Haiti establish women’s health groups in every village. IMA midwives taught modules on safer pregnancy and childbirth practices, Home Based Life Saving Skills, for these groups.
Uganda: Creation and Operation of a Clinic for 16 years
2007
In 2007, IMA and members of the community of Soroti, Uganda partnered to create a maternal/child health clinic to serve victims of a brutal civil war. That clinic became the Teso Safe Motherhood Project
In operation from 2007 to 2023, over 15,000 babies were safely born, close to 100,000 children were vaccinated, and around 50,000 people were provided the family planning method of choice. All of these services were provided to the destitute population free of charge.
By the time the project came to a close, between 100 and 150 babies were being delivered each month at TSMP. In a country where maternal mortality is rising, the Teso Safe Motherhood Project maintained a maternal mortality rate of ZERO.
Partnering with Eema Care Center
2023
IMA continues to work in the town of Soroti, Uganda. Going forward, we are partnering with the local staff and board of directors of a CBO. A CBO is a Community Based Organization, a non-profit organization that works within a local community to improve the well-being of its residents. The organization decided to call itself the Eema Care Center, as "eema" is how "IMA" is spelled in the local language.