DESCRIPTION OF TOPIC:
The protracted Rohingya humanitarian crisis in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, has placed immense pressure on maternal and newborn health services in refugee camps and surrounding host communities. Despite active Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) programs, persistently high maternal and perinatal mortality exposed critical gaps in midwifery-led care, including limited clinical skills, low confidence, and inconsistent adherence to global standards. In response, UNFPA, as coordinator of the SRH Working Group, launched a midwifery-led mentorship model to strengthen provider capacity, improve care quality, and reduce mortality. Launched in 2022, the program applies a cascade mentorship structure where international midwife mentors directly support national midwife coordinators, midwife supervisors, and clinical mentors (medical doctors), who then train frontline midwives and doctors across primary and secondary health facilities. Mentorship is delivered through simulations, bedside coaching, structured clinical training, and case reviews, with key focus areas including postpartum hemorrhage, pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, prolonged labor, sepsis management, newborn resuscitation, and respectful maternity care. Evaluation uses a mixed-methods approach, combining routine health indicator tracking with provider feedback from interviews and observations. The program now covers 100% of midwives and 30% of doctors in all targeted facilities. Since its inception, maternal deaths have decreased by 45%, from 84 in 2021 to 46 in 2024. Providers report improved decision-making, clinical confidence, and stronger teamwork. Local midwife leaders are sustaining mentorship efforts, promoting long-term system resilience.

RELEVANCE TO MIDWIFERY:
This model affirms midwifery's central role in reducing maternal and newborn mortality, especially in fragile settings. It showcases how empowering midwives through targeted mentorship enhances clinical quality, fosters leadership, and ensures continuity of care. By prioritizing midwife-led interventions, the model demonstrates a scalable, cost-effective strategy to strengthen SRH systems and elevate the profession globally. Keywords: Midwifery mentorship, maternal health, humanitarian response, reproductive health, capacity building, clinical quality, Rohingya, Bangladesh Humanitarian 1 (including three-minute presentation competition)