Every night Mariam* keeps her phone on loud, afraid that a woman in labour in a remote Afghan village won’t be able to reach her.
Mariam is one of the last midwife trainers left in Afghanistan, working to ensure women in the impoverished nation have access to safe childbirth. She is part of a dying breed, after a Taliban decree in December 2024 ordered that no more women will be allowed to undergo training as midwives or nurses.
