On 5 May 2021, the 6th International Forum - International Day of the Midwife will be held online under the theme “Invest in Midwives” set by the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) for the International Day of the Midwife 2021.

This event is part of the 140th-anniversary celebrations of the Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC). It highlights the importance of midwifery education and midwives as essential healthcare professionals for reaching Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely Target 3.1 (to reduce by 2030 the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births).

Following the opening session, the Webinar will begin with two midwifery teachers from the Sainte-Elisabeth/HENALLUX Paramedical Department (Belgium) who will introduce the theme and present the challenges midwifery faces worldwide. The President of the College of the Maternal Health and Obstetric Nursing Specialty of Ordem dos Enfermeiros will also participate in the Webinar, presenting the challenges faced by midwives in Portugal.

Next, there will be a presentation about ESEnfC’s investment in midwifery education for the past 40 years, highlighting the professional development projects of some of the midwives trained by the School and the School’s participation in national and international cooperation projects, namely in community extension projects and the co-creation of networks.

The objectives of this Webinar are:

• To understand the current challenges of midwives at the international and national level;
• To give visibility to the contribution of ESENFC to midwifery education in the past 40 years;
• To disseminate national and international innovative projects led by midwives, contributing to sexual and reproductive health gains.

This event is organized by the Scientific-Pedagogical Unit of Maternal Health, Obstetric and Gynecological Nursing of ESEnfC, with the support of the WHO Collaborating Center of ESEnfC and the Women’s Health Nursing Network of Portuguese-speaking countries.

Join us in this celebration.