DESCRIPTION OF TOPIC:
In war-affected Ukrainian communities, women often give birth in bomb shelters, homes, or even. Attacks and hospital closures have left some regions without any skilled birth care. Yet emergency childbirth support remains a critical gap; first responders and community members often have no training to assist women in labor. The NGO Ukrainian Midwives Union recognized this need and took the lead in addressing it. They launched a training program to teach midwives, local health workers, police, rescuers, and volunteers essential skills for emergency childbirth and basic first aid (e.g., bleeding control, defibrillator use). The project trained nearly 500 participants in 121 conflict-affected communities by the beginning of 2025, including health workers and emergency responders. The curriculum blended standard first aid with a specialized midwifery module. Moreover, 98.9% of participants affirmed the training’s critical importance. This community-based approach ensures that mothers and newborns can receive care even with limited medical access. It also strengthens local resilience amid the war.

RELEVANCE TO MIDWIFERY:
Midwives are at the heart of this response, demonstrating their essential role in conflict healthcare. Amid hospital closures and staff shortages, Ukrainian midwives stepped up to fill critical gaps in maternal care. Midwife-trainers leveraged their expertise to educate other professionals and volunteers. From guiding births remotely under siege to empowering community first responders, midwives have demonstrated extraordinary leadership and adaptability. This project shows that midwifery-led interventions can uphold safe childbirth practices and basic first aid when health systems are disrupted. It highlights the need to invest in midwives as key drivers of maternal and newborn health and community resilience. Humanitarian 1 (including three-minute presentation competition)