Midwife Mercedes Muenala, 53, attends to Gladys Alvarez, 25, and her 1-month-old son, Luis David during her regular house visit.

Mercedes is among 50 World Vision-trained and supported midwives caring for hundreds of mothers and pregnant women and their families in her region of Ecuador. She’s an 18-year veteran as a volunteer midwife.

Gladys has known Mercedes since she was a girl and trusted her for potentially life-saving care when the baby was born at home and she needed to get to the hospital for professional attention.

Worldwide, a woman dies every two minutes from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. In developing countries, a woman’s risk of dying from treatable or preventable complications during pregnancy or childbirth is much greater than in developed countries.

Please pray for the health of pregnant women and mothers:

Great Shepherd, You know how much babies need their mothers. Be with pregnant women everywhere as they prepare to give birth. Strengthen their bodies and protect them from life-threatening diseases. Give them a safe delivery and a healthy baby.

“No longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life…” - Isaiah 65:20 (NLT)

Photo©2015 World Vision, Chris Huber