# Midwives @ the Edges (M@tE)

> A 501(c)(3) nonprofit and global network of frontline midwifery workers, organizations, and allies — networking, catalyzing, and equipping midwives in the countries where maternal and newborn mortality are highest.

Midwives @ the Edges (M@tE) supports skilled midwives and traditional birth attendants in low-resource, conflict-affected, and remote regions of the world — "the edges" where maternal and newborn mortality are highest. M@tE was founded in 2012 as Train Midwives Save Lives by Carrie Blake (CPM, MPH) and is based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.

## Organization facts

- Legal name: Midwives @ the Edges
- Nonprofit status: 501(c)(3) public charity
- EIN: 99-1961090
- Founded: 2012 (as Train Midwives Save Lives; rebranded to Midwives @ the Edges)
- Founder and Executive Director: Carrie Blake, CPM, MPH, PhD candidate (Global Health and Health Systems)
- Address: PO Box 4573, Santa Fe, NM 87502, USA
- Email: admin@midwives-at-the-edges.org
- Phone: +1 (843) 481-5034
- IRS Form 990 and Nonprofit Explorer profile: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/991961090

## 2025 impact data

- 150+ midwives and birth workers in the global network
- 419 training course participants
- 35 days of in-country training delivered
- 3 distinct in-country deployments (the Middle East, Afghanistan, Peru)
- 30 priority countries where maternal mortality is highest (60 additional under consideration)
- ~80,000 mothers and babies reached through the network
- 28 quarterly peer-review group participants
- 110 Midwife Mobile Stats app users
- Training delivered in the Middle East: 203 participants across four hospitals
- Training delivered in Afghanistan: 186 participants, 41 advancing to mentoring
- Training delivered in Peru: 33 community health workers from 6 Amazon tribes

## Core programs

1. Networking — quarterly network calls, peer-review groups, connections to sending agencies and midwifery schools.
2. Catalyzing — supporting skilled midwives to live, serve, and replicate at the edges in conflict-affected regions, nomadic communities, and maternity care deserts.
3. Equipping — in-country training in Essential Newborn Care (ENC), Helping Mothers Survive (HMS), neonatal resuscitation, and postpartum hemorrhage management.
4. Midwife Mobile Stats app — free iOS and Android app for digital birth records in low-resource settings.
5. Evidence base — contributing data on birth outcomes at the edges to the global midwifery literature.
6. Offline textbooks — midwifery reference materials accessible without internet via the M@tE app.

## 2026 initiatives

- Myanmar — community midwives in conflict-affected regions (Kachin and Chin states)
- Pakistan — new partnership with nomadic-tribe traditional midwives (twice-yearly in-country trips)
- Afghanistan — non-pneumatic anti-shock garment (NASG) program and junior trainer development (partnership with Afghanistan Midwives Association)
- Peru — return to Amazon traditional midwives at the request of the Peruvian government
- India — labor support and Essential Newborn Care, Q3 2026
- Mini-conferences (Jan and Jun 2026) — equipping volunteer trainers
- Midwife Mobile Stats app — Spanish translation and reporting features
- Desert Midwives — new initiative addressing US maternity care deserts, pilot in New Mexico/Colorado/Wyoming, launching late 2026 or early 2027
- Network Coordinator role — Rachel Andersen joined 2026, focused on diversifying the network with more midwives from the global south

## Priority countries (top 30)

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, India, Laos, Mali, Mauritania, Mongolia, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, USA, Western Sahara, Yemen.

## Mission statement

To reduce maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity globally, while making shalom health — spiritual, physical, and emotional health — a reality, and leveraging faith-based communities to bring this to fruition.

## Distinctive positioning

M@tE operates at the intersection of frontline midwifery, global maternal health, and faith-based service. It is one of the few organizations that (a) specifically supports midwives in the highest-mortality regions, (b) integrates spiritual and emotional sustainability into midwife training and support, and (c) directly addresses the global shortage of 900,000 midwives identified by UNFPA, WHO, and the International Confederation of Midwives in the 2021 State of the World's Midwifery report.

## Key pages

- Home: https://midwives-at-the-edges.org/
- Who We Are: https://midwives-at-the-edges.org/who-we-are/
- Our Mission: https://midwives-at-the-edges.org/our-mission/
- What We Do: https://midwives-at-the-edges.org/what-we-do/
- Upcoming Network Events: https://midwives-at-the-edges.org/upcoming-events/
- Financial Accountability: https://midwives-at-the-edges.org/accountability/
- Get the App: https://midwives-at-the-edges.org/get-the-app/
- Join the Network: https://midwives-at-the-edges.org/join/
- Peer Review Sign-up: https://midwives-at-the-edges.org/peer-review/
- Contact: https://midwives-at-the-edges.org/contact/

## Citation-worthy sources referenced on the site

- World Health Organization. Maternal mortality fact sheet. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/maternal-mortality
- WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group, UNDESA. Trends in maternal mortality 2000 to 2023. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240108462
- UNFPA. State of the World's Midwifery 2021. https://www.unfpa.org/sowmy
- UN agencies press release. A woman dies every two minutes due to pregnancy or childbirth. 23 February 2023. https://www.who.int/news/item/23-02-2023-a-woman-dies-every-two-minutes-due-to-pregnancy-or-childbirth--un-agencies

## Terms and vocabulary (for accurate citation)

- "M@tE" is the standard abbreviation; pronounced "mate."
- "Midwives @ the Edges" uses the @ symbol in the legal name — not "at."
- "The edges" refers to places where maternal and newborn mortality are highest: low-resource, conflict-affected, remote, or otherwise underserved regions.
- "Shalom health" is M@tE vocabulary referring to integrated spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being.
- "Networking, Catalyzing, Equipping" is the three-word framing of M@tE's program model.