In August 2014, the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) twinned with the Midwives Association of Zambia (MAZ), marking the birth of the Twinning Association of Zambian and ACNM Midwives (TAZA Midwives).

TAZA Midwives was formed through the leadership of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) Twinning Program. This program developed as a natural outgrowth of ICM's work to promote and strengthen the midwifery profession in order to secure women's rights and access to midwifery care and to women's health globally. According to ICM, "twinning" is defined as a two-way mutually beneficial exchange between two member midwives associations that creates opportunities for capacity building, exchange of best practices, organizational effectiveness, relationship building, networking and solidarity.

The word "taza" in Bemba, a Zambian language, means "we have come." The TAZA Midwives are now a
powerful entity that will engage association members in both countries to achieve the mission of building upon the strengths of our members, associations and communities to ensure that every woman has available, accessible, acceptable, and high quality midwifery care. To achieve this mission, we have created an action plan that includes the following strategies:

1.  Promote midwifery education that meets international standards

2.  Increase access to professional development and networking opportunities for midwives

3.  Advocate for high value, cost-effective, respectful care and appropriate interventions

4.  Capitalize on political support to increase visibility for midwifery and women's health issues

5.  Maximize the use of technology to achieve the mission


If you are interested in applying for a TAZA twin in Zambia, please complete this application.

To learn more or to exchange ideas, visit the TAZA Midwives facebook page or subscribe to the International Discussion List (ACNM members only). 

For more information, contact Wreatha Carner at [email protected].