One in every six babies dies before his or her first birthday in Afghanistan. In 2006, this stark fact left Canadian Kaswera Vulere with a difficult decision.

As a World Vision midwife trainer, Vulere could choose to stay in war-ravaged Afghanistan for another work term or return to her family in Quebec City. Vulere was certainly ready to return to the comforts of Canadian life. But the plight of infants in Afghanistan caused a change of heart and she decided to stay for at least another year.

Overwhelming Infant Mortality
According to the UN's The State of the World's Children 2007 report, Afghanistan has one of the highest rates of infant mortality in the world. Poor sanitation and a lack of access to clean water often lead to deadly infections that claim the lives of infants.

"I would leave the room and weep," Vulere says, recalling how she witnessed many newborns die shortly after birth.

Saving Lives
In August 2005, Vulere helped transform an unused storage space in western Afghanistan's Herat Regional Hospital into the first neonatal unit in the region. Working on a shoestring budget, Vulere and her team of midwives helped save the lives of more than 1,000 infants in the first eight months of operation. Now, the clinic helps care for about 20 infants a week.

"These babies are poor, neglected, and vulnerable," Vulere says. "They are treated as the least among us."

Compassion Rooted in Experience
Vulere grew up in a small village in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and her mother struggled to provide for her six children. Since people once cared for Vulere, she believes in doing the same for others.

Vulere hopes to one day return to the DRC to help preterm infants. At the moment though, the need in Afghanistan is too great. Last November, the UN reported that 1.25 million children continue to suffer in Afghanistan as a result of drought and conflict.

"The future of Afghanistan depends on these children," Vulere says. "They will be the presidents, cabinet ministers and midwives of tomorrow."

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