EVERY year on May 5, the world pauses to celebrate the International Day of the Midwife, recognising the women who stand at the beginning of life, guiding mothers through pregnancy, labour, childbirth and helping newborns take their first breath.
Their work is visible, celebrated and increasingly acknowledged as essential to maternal and child health.
Yet in many communities across Zimbabwe, there is another group of women whose service begins where the work of midwives sometimes ends.
They are the elderly women who quietly step forward when a baby dies before or shortly after birth.
They do not wear uniforms, receive awards or appear in health statistics.
Their names rarely feature in discussions about maternal and newborn health.
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Yet for generations, they have carried one of the most difficult responsibilities in society, helping families navigate the heartbreak of losing a child and ensuring that even the briefest life is treated with dignity.
As Zimbabwe commemorates the International Day of the Midwife, their story offers a broader understanding of care, compassion and the often-unseen women who support families through every stage of life’s journey.
In many rural communities, particularly in areas where traditional customs remain strong, elderly women are entrusted with the burial of premature babies and newborns who die shortly after birth.
The responsibility is steeped in cultural traditions passed down from one generation to the next.
Traditionally, men and younger women do not participate in these rituals.
Instead, the duty falls to respected elderly women, often beyond childbearing age who are considered custodians of sacred cultural knowledge.
For 90-year-old Gogo Violet Mutumwa of Chimanimani, this responsibility has been part of her life for more than four decades.
“Every child is precious, whether they lived for years or only for a few hours,” she says softly in an interview with NewsDay Weekender.
“When I carry a baby to the resting place, I pray for the mother whose heart is broken.
“We bury the child with respect because every life matters.”
Over the years, she has comforted countless families devastated by loss.
While the task remains emotionally painful, she views it as a service both to grieving parents and to the departed child.
“Many people celebrate birth, but our tradition teaches us to honour life even when it ends too soon,” she says.
“We do this so that families can begin healing.”
Her words reveal a striking parallel with the role of midwives.
While midwives help usher life into the world, women like Mutumwa help families cope when life is unexpectedly taken away.
Both roles are rooted in care.
Both require compassion.
Both serve mothers during some of the most emotionally vulnerable moments of their lives.
For 80-year-old Getrude Mudhenda from Binga, the responsibility was inherited through generations of women in her family.
“My grandmother taught me that compassion is shown not only in welcoming a child into the world, but also in saying goodbye with dignity,” she explains.
“The mothers are often in pain and mourning. We stand in the gap for them.”
She recalls numerous occasions when grieving mothers later returned to thank her.
“The tears never become easier to witness,” she says.
“But knowing that we helped a family through their darkest moment gives us strength.”
The connection between traditional caregivers and maternal health extends beyond emotional support.
In many remote communities where access to healthcare facilities can be limited, elderly women have historically played important roles during pregnancy and childbirth itself.
Long before modern clinics reached some rural areas, traditional birth attendants and experienced elderly women often assisted mothers during labour and offered guidance throughout pregnancy and recovery.
Although professional midwifery has significantly improved maternal and newborn outcomes, many communities still rely on the wisdom and support of elderly women, particularly during emergencies or when births occur unexpectedly at home.
Community Working Group on Health national member Desmond Ntini believes both groups deserve recognition.
“These are highly unrecognised people, yet they are the unsung heroes of our communities,” he says.
“When we talk about building a nation and ensuring generations continue to thrive, it starts with our pregnant women and the care they receive before during and after childbirth.
“Midwives help mothers deliver safely and contribute directly to the future of our communities.”
But he stresses that care does not end with delivery.
“When a baby dies shortly after birth, there are cultural responsibilities that cannot be carried out by just anyone.
“These elderly women step in to assist families during a very painful time.
“They bridge cultural traditions and provide emotional support while helping communities uphold practices that have existed for generations.”
According to Ntini, their contributions strengthen both public health and social cohesion.
“They help ensure healthier mothers and babies while preserving important cultural values,” he says.
“Their work contributes to the wellbeing and future prosperity of our country.”
Gogo Eness Majeje explains that customs surrounding the burial of premature babies have evolved over time, but remain significant for many families.
“In the past, premature babies were often buried near riverbanks,” she says.
“Elders believed that if certain burial rites were not followed, a mother could face difficulties conceiving again.”
While riverbank burials have become less common, particularly with changing regulations and increased urbanisation, some traditions continue to be observed.
“Today, mud is still placed in the grave as part of the burial process,” she further explains. “These customs remain important to many families because they are connected to beliefs about fertility, healing and continuity of life.”
The importance of these traditions is echoed by Chief Trymore Dandawa of Hurungwe in Mashonaland West province.
He says elderly women remain highly respected custodians of culture and play a crucial role in supporting bereaved families.
“Traditionally, they conduct the burials of premature babies in secluded places, often in valleys (munhanga) according to long-standing customs,” Chief Dandawa says.
“The responsibility is usually entrusted to elderly women who are beyond childbearing age.”
He notes that many families continue to attach great significance to these practices because of cultural beliefs surrounding childbirth and future fertility.
The chief also raises concerns about situations where babies who die shortly after birth in health facilities are sometimes incinerated according to hospital procedures.
“Some families feel this does not align with their cultural practices and would prefer to be involved in decisions concerning the burial of their children,” he says.
For mothers who have experienced such loss, the presence of elderly women can be transformative.
Memory Ncube, from Bulawayo’s Tshabalala high-density suburb, vividly remembers the support she received after losing a premature baby.
“I was devastated,” she recalls.
“I could barely speak or leave my bed after losing my child.”
During those difficult days, elderly women from her community surrounded her with comfort and practical support.
“They handled everything with such dignity and kindness that it gave me strength when I felt completely broken,” she reckons.
“They sat with me, prayed with me and reminded me that I was not alone.”
Although the grief remains, she credits their compassion with helping her begin the journey towards healing.
“Even though the pain never disappears completely, their support helped me find hope again.”
As Zimbabwe continues to strengthen maternal and newborn healthcare, the International Day of the Midwife offers an opportunity to recognise the broader network of women whose care sustains families and communities.
Midwives save lives, reduce maternal and infant mortality and help mothers safely welcome children into the world.
Their contribution remains indispensable.
But alongside them are elderly women whose role begins when joy turns to grief, women who carry cultural knowledge, provide emotional support and ensure that every child however briefly they lived is treated with dignity and respect.
Though their responsibilities differ, both groups embody the same values, compassion, service, resilience and care.
One welcomes life.
The other honours it when it ends too soon.
Together, they represent the full circle of community caregiving, standing beside mothers through moments of profound joy and unimaginable sorrow.
Their contributions may not always be visible, but they remain an enduring testament to the strength, wisdom and compassion of Zimbabwean women.
As the nation reflects on the significance of the International Day of the Midwife, perhaps the time has come to broaden the conversation to recognise not only those who help bring life into the world but also those who quietly help families find comfort when life takes an unexpected turn.
For in their different ways, both are guardians of human dignity and both are deserving of honour.