VGHP is partnering with Dr. Robert Skankey, a retired Obstetrician who has delivered over 3500 babies in Ventura and Ojai, and his Nomad Foundation in the Sahara Desert.
The Nomad Foundation has started a clinic in Tamesna, which is located on the annual migration route of the local Nomads. The clinic has a midwife training program.
One in seven women in Niger has a lifetime risk of death during childbirth. Midwives trained by Dr. Skankey have assisted at more than one hundred births since November of 2011 with no maternal mortality and no infant mortality of a child born alive. They are reporting to Tamensa clinic staff that is developing the first health statistics ever for this remote region.
While vigorous and very committed, Dr. Skankey is 82 years old, and VGHP has committed to help him pass the torch to younger Ventura doctors. VGHP will recruit and fund OB/GYN’s to continue the work of training midwives at the Tamesna clinic.