The Nursing & Midwifery Development Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that funds and supports the NMDC, a training center for nurses and midwives in northern Iraq.

Eva Said, a UK-trained nurse from Slovakia and married to an Iraqi businessman, lived in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and noticed significant healthcare gaps that impacted the local residents. Eva quickly identified a clear need: although eager to serve, nurses and midwives lacked essential training and up-to-date facilities. Starting small, Eva began training nurses in small classrooms. Those efforts quickly outgrew the space available, and she dreamed of building a state-of-the-art facility where nurses and midwives could learn and practice before taking their skills into the community.

Eva partnered with humanitarian representatives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to make that dream a reality. The NMDC received a $1.9 million grant from Latter-day Saint Charities as well as a generous donation from the Stirling Foundation and property granted by the Erbil Governorate. Construction of the NMDC facility in Erbil began in December 2022. Eva’s husband, Nazim, led the dedicated construction team and worked tirelessly for months until its completion in November 2023. The Nursing and Midwifery Development Center was born!

In January 2024, the 36,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art NMDC facility opened in Erbil. Nurses, midwives, security professionals, and other healthcare providers now train in its 11 world-class simulation labs, modern classrooms, and a high-tech computer lab. The NMDC is an accredited American Heart Association (AHA) training site and offers multiple AHA courses. Additionally, the facility hosts conferences, language-training courses, and community events. The Center will soon provide an Emergency Preparedness and Response training field to prepare healthcare providers and community members for disasters.

In its first two years of operation, the NMDC delivered nearly 300 courses and trained over 3,400 people, including nurses and midwives who deliver life-saving care to mothers and infants. With the capacity to train 7,000 providers annually, we are now seeking to scale our impact and reach thousands more mothers and newborns with life-saving care.

To expand the impact of the Center, the Nursing and Midwifery Development Foundation (NMDF) was established as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization in the United States by Eva, Michele Calderon, and Carolyn Melby.

We are deeply grateful for our partnerships that enabled the construction of our beautiful facility. Jean Bingham, former LDS Relief Society General President and current NMDF Board Member, was instrumental in obtaining the grant from Latter-day Saint Charities, as was Sharon Eubank, former director of LDS Charities.

The NMDC stands as a beacon of light, hope, and progress in the region. Although construction and equipping the Center is complete, there is a great need for financial support to bring skilled professionals to train health providers and expand the classes as well as provide for ongoing maintenance of the facility. 

You can be part of our shared mission. We seek to establish an endowment that will fund the critical operations of the Centre in perpetuity. Please contribute generously to the NMDF. Thank you.