AMA

What AMA does

The Afghan Midwives Association (AMA) is Afghanistan's national non-profit professional membership association for midwives, founded in 2004 under the leadership of Ms. Pashtoon Azfar and a group of 15 midwives, and legally recognized in 2005 with 80 initial members. It has since grown to over 3,500 members across all 34 Afghan provinces, making it one of the country's largest women-led professional associations and an active member of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) since 2005. AMA serves as the designated technical body for midwifery education, professional development, and policy on behalf of ANMC, MoPH, and MoHE.

AMA's core offerings span three domains: (1) member services and advocacy (Annual Congress, International Day of the Midwife, Mother Nights, Mini University skills training, e-learning facilitation, and the State of Afghanistan's Midwifery Report publication); (2) capacity-building programs (field-based mentorship program operating in 28+ health facilities across 6+ provinces with measurable clinical outcomes, and the Bridging Program enabling diploma midwives to earn a Bachelor of Science in Midwifery); and (3) direct service delivery via Midwife-Led Maternity Care Centers (MLMCCs) embedded in partner hospitals — Ahmad Shah Baba Mina Hospital (JHPIEGO-supported, opened 2021) and Mohammad Ali Janah Hospital (MSF-supported, opened 2022).

Revenue is generated through three streams: annual membership fees across five tiers (Full, Student, International, Honorary, Associate), individual and organizational donations (via bank transfer to Azizi Bank USD account), and project/grant funding from a concentrated set of international institutional donors — UNFPA, USAID, JHPIEGO, MSF, MSH, SCA, and Cordaid. AMA operates exclusively within Afghanistan, with headquarters in Kabul (Shahr-e-Naw, District 10) and program offices co-located at partner hospitals in PD#12 (Dasht-e-Barchi and Ahmad Shah Baba Arzan Qimat). Governance rests with an elected Executive Committee (President, Vice-President, Treasurer) and a 13-member Board, supported by an Advisory Board and an Executive Director. The association is currently led by Acting President Fahima Naziri, appointed in 2022.

Name

AMA

Legal name

Afghan Midwives Association

Website

https://afghanmidwives.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AMA is Afghanistan's national professional association for midwives, serving 3,500+ members across all 34 provinces through mentorship programs, capacity building, advocacy, and hospital-embedded maternity care centers, funded primarily by international institutional donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Midwifery Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Workplace Culture, Engagement & Wellbeing Training (EDABAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

DEI, Equity & Inclusion Training (EDABAIAF), DEI, Equity & Inclusion Advisory (BPACAJAJ)

Keywords

• Professional association services
• Midwifery education training
• Maternal healthcare advocacy
• Capacity building programs
• Nonprofit health membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Kabul

HQ country

Afghanistan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from individual midwives across five membership types: Full, Student, International, Honorary, and Associate members. Members receive card, discounts on events, newsletters, voting rights, and access to directory.
2. Donations: Individual, organizational and private donations to support association activities. Accepts donations via bank transfer (Azizi Bank, USD account).
3. Project/Grant Funding: Funding from international donors and organizations for specific programs including JHPIEGO, UNFPA, MSF, MSH, SCA, Cordaid for mentorship, MLMCC centers, and professional development projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AMA is a national non-profit professional membership association that strengthens the midwifery profession in Afghanistan through field-based mentorship programs, a bridging program enabling diploma midwives to earn bachelor's degrees, and Midwife-Led Maternity Care Centers (MLMCC) operating inside partner hospitals. The association also delivers capacity-building training, advocacy events including the annual International Day of the Midwife celebration and Annual Congress, and policy engagement as the technical body for midwifery education and regulation.

Product overview

Afghan Midwives Association (AMA) is a national non-profit membership-based professional association established in 2004/2005, offering a portfolio of programs and services to strengthen midwifery in Afghanistan. The core offerings include a field-based Mentorship Program for capacity building, a Bridging Program enabling diploma midwives to earn bachelor's degrees, and Midwife-Led Maternity Care Centers (MLMCC/MLUs) providing woman-centered maternal health services. AMA organizes advocacy events including the annual International Day of Midwife celebration, Annual Congress gatherings, and Mother Nights forums. Additional services include the State of Afghanistan's Midwifery Report publication, Mini University skills training, e-learning facilitation, and membership benefits. AMA serves as a technical body for midwifery education, professional development, and policies, with over 3,500 members across 34 provinces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Field-Based Mentorship Program Field-based mentorship program where certified national midwifery trainers travel to health facilities to provide coaching services to midwives. Includes needs assessment, routine visits for onsite coaching, skill retention assessments, and facility infrastructure evaluations. Deployed across 28+ health facilities in six provinces.
• Midwifery Bridging Program Pilot bridging program providing opportunity for diploma midwives to earn a Bachelor of Science in Midwifery. Started with 30 students at Zawal Institute of Higher Education in Kabul with UNFPA support.
• Midwife-Led Maternity Care Centers (MLMCC/MLUs) Midwife-led maternity care centers providing woman-centered pregnancy and birth care based on the belief that pregnancy and birth are normal life events. Services include individualized education, counseling, antenatal care, continuous labor/birth attendance, and postnatal support. Operates inside partner hospitals.
• Mini University Skills Training Skills training events focused on teaching high-impact interventions to prevent maternal and child death, conducted in various provinces including Herat and Kandahar.
• E-Learning Facilitation Online and digital learning training facilitation for midwives to build professional capacity.
• State of Afghanistan's Midwifery Report Comprehensive country-specific midwifery report providing evidence-based data for donors, partners, and policymakers to improve midwifery programs.
• AMA Membership Services Membership-based association services including membership card, discounts on events, complimentary newsletters, voting eligibility, access to member's directory, and eligibility for election to Executive Committee or Board of Directors. Five tiers: Full, Student, International, Honorary, Associate.

Quantifiable outcome

• ANC performance improved from 20% to 88% through mentorship program
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• International Confederation of Midwives (ICM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Active member since 2005. AMA participates in ICM global initiatives, accesses international standards and competencies, and contributes to international midwifery discourse. ICM represents 80+ national midwifery associations from 73 countries.
• JHPIEGOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding MLMCC project at Ahmad Shah Baba Arzan Qimat (UHI Project), supports midwifery education and quality improvement initiatives.
• Ministry of Public Health (MoPH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical body partnership for ANMC/MoPH/MoHE. Collaborates on midwifery education regulation, standards development, and policy advocacy. IDM co-celebration.
• Afghanistan Nurses and Midwives Council (ANMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical collaboration on education and regulation development. Joint production of State of Afghanistan's Midwifery Report 2021.
• White Ribbon Alliance (WRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive membership for safe motherhood and women empowerment advocacy at international level.
• WHOmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration on maternal health guidelines, COVID-19 resources, and midwifery standards.
• UNICEFmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResources and collaboration on maternal and child health initiatives in Afghanistan.
• JhpiegomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical support and funding for midwifery education improvement and MLMCC projects.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Jhpiego: Global health nonprofit and active partner of AMA on the MLMCC project. Adjacent rather than competitive — Jhpiego operates maternal health programs that overlap with AMA's mission and provides both funding and technical collaboration.
• Save the Children: International NGO and AMA funder focused on maternal and child health, including support for midwife training and Mother's Night. Operates overlapping maternal health programs globally but as a large multi-cause organization, not a midwifery-specific peer.
• UNFPA: UN agency funding AMA's midwifery programs and the bridging education initiative. Comparable as a major stakeholder in the same maternal health ecosystem but functions as a funder and standard-setter rather than a peer professional body.

Broad incumbents

• International Confederation of Midwives (ICM): Global umbrella federation for 80+ national midwifery associations including AMA. Sets the standards, competencies, and education frameworks that AMA implements domestically, providing both alignment and accountability as AMA's accreditor-in-effect.

Direct peers

• Australian College of Midwives: Peak national body for the midwifery profession in Australia, with comparable functions to AMA in professional standards, continuing education, member advocacy, and representation before government.
• American College of Nurse-Midwives: US-based professional association for certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives, comparable to AMA in mission, member-based governance, advocacy focus, and standards-setting for midwifery education and practice.
• Royal College of Midwives: UK national professional membership body for midwives, providing the closest structural analog to AMA: professional advocacy, education standards, member services, and government-facing technical input at country scale.
• Afghanistan Nurses and Midwives Council (ANMC): Regulatory sister body co-established with AMA involvement to govern nursing and midwifery practice in Afghanistan. Closest operational peer given co-location, shared membership universe, and joint production of the State of Midwifery Report 2021.
• Canadian Association of Midwives: National professional association representing midwives across Canada, paralleling AMA in member-based governance, advocacy for the profession, and continuing professional development functions at country scale.

Emerging players

• White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood: Global advocacy coalition for safe motherhood in which AMA holds active membership. Comparable in mission alignment around maternal health rights and women's empowerment, though structured as an advocacy network rather than a professional membership body.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/midwife

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about AMA