CHITTAGONG, BANGLADESH: February 11, 2017 – Shanta Das, 34, is a paramedic at Smiling Sun Clinic in Chittagong, Bangldesh. When she was young, her mother used to tell her the story about her first birth. She was in labor for four days at home, but not one took her to a health facility. Ultimately, the child died. She didn’t want any mother to lose her child the way her mother did so she decided to become a paramedic. She completed a three-year midwifery training. She also received additional trainings on mother and childcare from USAID. Now, she provides health services to children and mothers as a paramedic including: nutrition counseling, checkups for pregnant mothers, delivery, post delivery, and growth monitoring. She also visits satellite clinics and pregnant mothers at their home for those who live far away. During the last 16 years, she has performed over 7,000 deliveries. Photo by Morgana Wingard/USAID