When Christine Nyoni first walked through the doors of Kanyama Hospital in 2002, the facility looked completely different than it does today. Back then, it was a modest local health center, and Christine was a newly graduated enrolled nurse eager to find her footing. Over the next 24 years, both Christine and the hospital would undergo an immense transformation. As Kanyama grew into a First Level Hospital, Christine ascended in her career, advancing from an enrolled nurse to a registered nurse, and eventually specializing as a midwife.

Today, she serves as the Maternity In-Charge, overseeing a high-volume department that serves as the literal birthplace for many mothers in the community. But her journey to becoming the Maternity In-Charge was defined by a single moment of helplessness early in her career.

While working as a registered nurse in the medical admission ward, Christine was assigned to step in as the temporary facility in-charge. Suddenly, an emergency alert echoed from the labor ward - a complicated breech delivery required immediate attention.

I was called to go and assist in delivering the baby, but I had no knowledge," Christine recalls. From that incident, the interest came to me because I felt it's not fair, people trusted me and asked for my help. Then I couldn’t help and had to source for another help? That was my turning point to specialize in midwifery."

Driven by a refusal to ever feel that helpless again, Christine returned to school in 2016 and returned at the same facility as a fully qualified midwife, a role she has proudly executed for the past ten years.

To understand Christine’s daily reality is to understand the staggering scale of Kanyama Hospital’s maternity wing. On any given day, the department admits a minimum of 40 mothers, and on its busiest days, the facility handles up to 50 deliveries within a 24-hour cycle. In a high-volume environment where resources can wear thin, the emotional highs and lows are blunt, but the low points leave deep scars. Christine vividly remembers a devastating shift involving a mother who had undergone two previous Caesarean sections and went into labor. The hospital's operating theatre was fully occupied, and the team desperately called for an ambulance to transfer her to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH), but the ambulance was delayed - both mother and child did not survive.

It’s like at home, you have to think, what am I going to cook for my family? Then you come here also, and you now have to start looking: Do I have enough gloves to use to deliver this mother? Do I have enough commodities? Do I have enough drugs?" Christine says softly.

Christine’s personal experiences and the daily encounters at Kanyama Level One Hospital highlight a universal truth: saving mothers requires more than just passion; it requires systemic, resilient infrastructure and highly skilled personnel. UNFPA is championing a strategic shift towards midwife-led primary health care through the Midwifery Model of Care (MMoC). Realizing that structural change requires evidence-based advocacy, UNFPA developed a comprehensive MMoC investment case and policy brief. This data-driven initiative aims to secure sustainable, long-term investments in midwifery services, ensuring facilities like Kanyama Hospital are consistently equipped with the resources, staff, and commodities.

Furthermore, UNFPA has extended critical support to the Midwives Association of Zambia (MAZ). Through this partnership, MAZ has rolled out essential training on the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) and Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) directly to midwives. This specialized training enhances the capacity of midwives to deliver essential Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) services, particularly during high-volume periods and complex humanitarian emergencies.

Despite the challenging shifts and resource constraints, Christine's passion for her profession remains unshakeable. Her ultimate reward remains simple: a safe delivery, a crying baby, and a smiling family.  Strengthened by the knowledge that maternal health is receiving systemic backing, she strongly encourages the next generation to embrace the field.

It’s a good job because we are the first people [midwives] to meet the baby even before the mothers themselves. Also, I believe midwifery is autonomous, we know what to do to save both the mother's life. It's more enjoyable, more fulfilling as a nurse to be a midwife." says Christine with a smile.