Saving Mothers & Newborns in Liberia 2026-27

  Improving Maternal-Newborn Care in Liberia Through Continuing Professional Development (CDD) Workshops

Introduction

The Friends of Liberia–Liberia Health Team conducted its sixth five-day Continuing Professional Development (CPD) workshop from February 23-27, 2026 at the Phebe compound in central Liberia. The training included respectively, 25 nursing/midwifery faculty and 22 practicing nurses/midwives in attendance.

The workshop was designed to strengthen clinical competence, and instructional capacity, with a focus on maternal and neonatal survival. A needs assessment led to topics selection, and structured pre- and post-tests were administered to measure achievement participants gained. Additionally, instructional quality and service deliveries were evaluated through participant feedback surveys. Across all topics, the majority of participants either agreed or strongly agreed that they learned new information and that objectives of the CPD workshop were achieved. The workshop was conducted by competent nurse-educator and midwives with specialty in basic EmONC training.

The Issue, Problem, or Challenge?

Liberia is faced with a severe maternal health crisis. Recent reports showed 206 maternal deaths and 961 newborn deaths (WHO, 2025 Statistics on Liberia). The reports also showed an alarming maternal mortality ratio of 742 per 100, 000 live births

Solution

The five-day training CPD workshop, which consisted of seven topics, focused on building both faculty and practicing nurses/midwives’ competencies and skills in maternal-newborn care. Key maternal-infants’ topics we covered included: Helping Mothers and Babies Survive (HMBS) – Pre-eclampsia & Eclampsia, MgSO Dosing and Monitoring Checklist, Managing Common Obstetric and Neonatal Emergencies

 It is expected that the participants will conduct similar workshops in their respective facilities. This trickle down effect will help reduce maternal-newborns’ deaths in Liberia

Potential Long-Term Impact

At the end of the workshop each participant was given a flash drive loaded with training resources, with the objective of rolling-out these resources across Liberia. The net impact will be competent and qualified nurses and midwives who will provide quality and evidence-based maternal-newborn care in Liberia.

Summary

Evidence shows that continuing professional development workshops can improve the quality of care provided by healthcare professionals. It is against this background that we conduct another annual CPD workshops to augment government’s efforts in improving the healthcare delivery system in Liberia. This year we focused on maternal-newborn care after a nationwide online needs assessment.

Your support helps make these workshops possible. Thank you!