Dicko Fatoumata Maïga, a longtime nurse-midwife and president of the Association of Midwives of Mali, has been chosen as one of IntraHealth International’s 2010 Health Champions. She was honored at a celebration in Bamako, Mali, for her work to ensure an equitable distribution of midwives across country.

In Mali, about 75% of nurses/midwives are based in the capital city of Bamako, while most of the population lives along vast territories to the North, bordering the Sahara. The shortage of well-trained midwives in these rural areas means that only 50% of pregnant women receive skilled care at birth. What’s more, women in Mali have a 1 in 15 lifetime risk of maternal death.

Maïga has worked for 30 years to change this reality, including by organizing an annual mini-university for more than 1,000 nurses and midwives to update their knowledge of maternal and child health issues and practices. She is also one of the key advisors of Mali’s First Lady, Touré Lobbo Traoré, on social mobilization activities against maternal mortality.

First Lady Traoré, a former midwife herself, presented Maïga with a certificate and medal to honor her achievements. Traoré also congratulated IntraHealth for this initiative and for its support to midwives in Mali and throughout the world. Maïga is one of five Health Champions for 2010. For more information on this initiative begun by IntraHealth to highlight health workers making a difference, watch this video.