PURPOSE:
The Muso Ka Lafiya Association promotes sexual and reproductive health education, as well as provides care for young people and women in Mali. The association is composed of young midwives who are motivated, passionate, and dedicated to the midwifery profession. The association offers home-based postpartum care, group childbirth education classes, and sexual and reproductive health workshops for young people.

DISCUSSION:
The Malian family structure, which has 2-3 generations of people living together, provides a rich opportunity to educate all girls and women present in the home about their bodies during postpartum home visits. After examining a mother and her baby, a grandmother often asks us to take her blood pressure, and a conversation about heart health and menopause begins. Or often, a pre-teen asks us about her period, and we discuss with her the bodily changes that accompany puberty and arrange for her and her friends to attend one of our youth sexual and reproductive health workshops located at our center.

EVIDENCE WHERE RELEVANT:
Midwives can sometimes be seen as health workers reserved only for mothers and babies, when in reality, we care for women throughout their lives. Postpartum home visits allow us to be introduced to young women - here we can provide them information about their menstrual cycle, family planning, and preventing STIs. Additionally, through home visits, we meet older women and are able to discuss with them the importance of preventative care, such as routine cervical cancer and breast cancer screenings, risks of cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis.

KEY MESSAGE:
Postpartum home visits allow midwives to ensure the health and well-being of mothers and babies, with the additional bonus of educating all women in the home about preventive care. These visits show girls and women the benefits of being cared for by a midwife from menarche through postmenopause. Poster session 1 (Group A)