On the morning of July 22, the opening ceremony of the 6th "Angel of Life" African Midwife Assistant Training Program kicked off at Chashan Campus of Wenzhou Medical University, marking another important milestone in the university’s continuous efforts in nursing international cooperation and social services. As a concrete practice responding to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the program not only focuses on the urgent needs of African countries in maternal and infant health, improves local midwifery capacity through systematic training and helps reduce maternal and neonatal mortality rates, but also takes a long-term perspective: it deepens China-Africa health cooperation through professional skill transfer and injects practical impetus into building a China-Africa Community with a Shared Future.
In 2018, Wenzhou Medical University, together with the Tanzania-China Friendship Promotion Association and Amber Vision International Cultural Development (Beijing) Co., Ltd., jointly launched China’s first "Angel of Life" African Midwife Assistant Training Program. At this opening ceremony, attendees included Dr. Miraji Ukuti Ussi, Tanzanian Minister Counselor to China; Zhu Xuebo, Member of the Party Committee and Vice President of Wenzhou Medical University; Li Junhong, Member of the Party Committee and Director of the Publicity Department (Faculty Work Department); Xu Xinfen, Chairperson of the Midwifery Branch of China Maternal and Child Health Association; and Yang Hong, Chairperson of Wenzhou Yanghong Charity Foundation. Relevant leaders, heads and faculty representatives from the university’s International Cooperation and Exchange Office, Trade Union and Women’s Federation, College of International Education, School of Nursing, and Nursing Departments of affiliated hospitals also participated. The ceremony was hosted by Dong Chaoqun, Vice Dean of the School of Nursing.
In her welcome speech to guests and trainees, Zhu Xuebo, Vice President of Wenzhou Medical University, noted that over the 67 years since its founding, the university has upheld the motto "Integrity, Diligence, Prudence, Truth-Seeking and Endeavor", nurturing more than 220,000 outstanding medical professionals and achieving fruitful results in pharmacy, optometry and other fields. Achievements such as cervical cancer vaccine research and development and international vision standard formulation have benefited the world, demonstrating its strong educational strength. As the initiator of the "Angel of Life" Program, the university has held 6 consecutive sessions since 2018, making it an important platform for China-Africa medical cooperation. This year, 32 trainees from 14 African countries joined the program; the university has assembled a top-tier faculty, designed courses integrating theory with practice, and provided comprehensive support. The university has always regarded this program as a key initiative and will continue to invest resources to advance it to deeper and broader levels. She hoped the trainees would master solid midwifery skills, serve as bridges for China-Africa medical exchanges, apply what they have learned to maternal and infant health in their home countries, let the spark of "Angels of Life" spread across Africa, deepen China-Africa medical and educational cooperation, and jointly write a new chapter of health and friendship.
Dr. Miraji Ukuti Ussi, Tanzanian Minister Counselor to China, attended the ceremony in person. In his speech, he highly recognized the Chinese government’s leading role in global health, noting that China’s medical assistance to Africa not only reflects the responsibility of a major country but also deepens the traditional China-Africa friendship through cooperation. He specifically mentioned that amid Africa’s growing population, women and children’s health faces multiple challenges due to regional disparities and resource shortages, and building a professional midwifery workforce has become key to improving maternal and infant survival rates. He praised Wenzhou Medical University’s "Angel of Life" Program for its outstanding contributions to international medical aid and training, as it cultivates much-needed midwifery talents for Africa. Looking ahead, he expressed his commitment to promoting regular academic exchange mechanisms between Africa and Wenzhou Medical University, facilitating medical talent visits and technology sharing. Finally, he sincerely wished the university new glory in development and continued to bring hope and write new chapters for global health with its professional strength.
Xu Xinfen, Chairperson of the Midwifery Branch of China Maternal and Child Health Association, stated that midwives are critical guardians of maternal and infant health, and their professional services can reduce 80% of preventable maternal and neonatal deaths. With a shortage of midwives in some African regions, the "Angel of Life" Program is of great significance. She mentioned that the program has trained numerous excellent midwife assistants for Africa, who have used their knowledge to improve local maternal and infant health—proof of the program’s success. The association has always been a solid backing for the program and will continue to support its development through professional resources and technical assistance, helping it take deeper roots and go further in Africa. This training also incorporates cutting-edge international concepts and covers key midwifery fields. She hoped the trainees would cherish the opportunity, master skills well, become envoys of China-Africa friendship, combine what they have learned with their hometowns’ needs, drive peers forward, let the program benefit more African mothers and infants, and wished the program a complete success.
Cai Fuman, Dean of the School of Nursing, welcomed the African trainees coming from afar and thanked leaders, guests and all sectors supporting the program. He introduced that since its launch in 2018, the "Angel of Life" Program has trained over 300 African midwifery talents from 27 countries, winning wide recognition for its professionalism and practicality. The program achieved great results in 2024: it won the national gold award at the 14th "Challenge Cup" China College Students’ Entrepreneurship Plan Competition in its first participation; in November of the same year, the university’s "Angel of Life" Midwifery Training Base was officially established in Tanzania, which not only affirmed past achievements but also built a solid platform for the program’s sustainable development in Africa. The program has been reported by Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily and other media; CGTN Français conducted a special interview on it and will introduce it at the Global Women’s Conference to be held in Beijing in the second half of this year, so its influence will continue to expand. The School of Nursing promised to provide high-quality resources, strengthen practical training, design diverse courses, and help trainees gain a fulfilling experience at Wenzhou Medical University.
Caroline Hango Mwanja, African trainee representative, delivered an inspiring speech. She compared the "Angel of Life" Program to a beacon of hope illuminating the future of maternal and infant health in Africa and a vivid symbol of in-depth China-Africa cooperation in global health. She stated that she would cherish the time of learning, growing and collaborating with peers from various countries with sincere hearts, deepen cultural exchanges, build consensus on safeguarding life while exploring the essence of midwifery, and let knowledge and friendship flourish through exchanges. She called on all trainees to celebrate the re-launch of the program and expressed high respect to all leaders and teachers committed to improving maternal and neonatal healthcare in Africa.
The smooth launch of this training program cannot be separated from the sincere care and strong support of the Tanzanian Embassy in China. To express sincere gratitude and commemorate this in-depth China-Africa friendship in maternal and infant health, Li Junhong, Member of the Party Committee and Director of the Publicity Department, presented a souvenir to Dr. Miraji Ukuti Ussi on behalf of the university at the ceremony, taking the gift as a carrier of friendship and witnessing the profound consensus between both sides in health cooperation.
Finally, Lodjongo Louisa Victoria, African trainee representative, received the program flag from Zhuge Jing, Director of the International Cooperation and Exchange Office, and the training officially kicked off amid warm applause.
The specific training curriculum was designed by the School of Nursing of Wenzhou Medical University. To ensure the program’s smooth implementation, multiple coordination meetings were held in advance, and volunteers were organized to support the trainees’ daily life. The preset training content includes normal delivery skills, nursing care for normal and abnormal perinatal maternal and infant conditions, obstetric emergency management, and the application of traditional Chinese medicine in perinatal care, aiming to comprehensively improve the trainees’ professional quality and skills. Meanwhile, special cultural experience courses were arranged to help trainees gain in-depth understanding of traditional Chinese culture and medical knowledge. A total of 32 African trainees from 14 countries including Tanzania, Nigeria, Liberia and Zimbabwe participated in this session.
It is reported that since 2018, Wenzhou Medical University has successfully held 5 sessions of the "Angel of Life" Program, training over 300 African trainees. After completing the 2-week training and passing the assessment, trainees will receive a completion certificate issued by the university. These trainees have not only acquired professional medical knowledge and skills but also become envoys of China-Africa friendship, making positive contributions to promoting China-Africa friendly relations.
The re-launch of the 6th "Angel of Life" Program not only demonstrates Wenzhou Medical University’s profound accumulation and extensive international influence in medical education but also highlights its responsibility in integrating into global health governance and supporting the development of global health. As a strategically significant long-term project, the program will continue to take professional education as a fulcrum, provide sustainable talent support for African health system construction through systematic knowledge transfer and skill training, continuously inject strong momentum into improving local maternal and infant health, and leave a brilliant chapter in the history of China-Africa medical cooperation.
For African pregnant women, childbirth is a life-and-death journey accompanied by loneliness and pain. Under relatively harsh medical conditions, the beauty of pregnancy often hangs by a thread with death, leaving them enduring more suffering and helplessness. According to Statista, Africa’s average fertility rate was 4.1 children per woman in 2024; though it has declined over the past decades, it remains higher than the global average. Maternal mortality in Africa has long been a severe issue: WHO data shows that the maternal mortality rate in sub-Saharan Africa was about 536 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. The latest UN report also indicates that African women are 130 times more likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth complications than those in Europe and America.
It can be said that the level of maternal and child health is directly related to a country’s overall national quality, productivity, talent reserve and future economic development potential. African mothers and infants are among the most vulnerable groups. Factors such as insufficient public health infrastructure, low average education level, inadequate government financial investment, wars and conflicts, and malnutrition have long made Africa’s maternal and child health situation worrying.
Under such harsh medical conditions, midwives’ work is particularly important. African pregnant women urgently need professional maternal care, timely obstetric emergency treatment and psychological support. Although maternal mortality has dropped by 38% over the past 20 years, the average annual decline is less than 3%, indicating slow progress—especially in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, which account for 86% of global maternal deaths. Therefore, improving midwifery education and training quality to ensure midwives can provide obstetric diagnosis and treatment in emergencies is a key measure to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality. International health organizations are actively promoting global midwifery education standards to improve overall care quality and coverage.
