For Honorine Soma, maternal health is about much more than pre-natal care. A trained midwife, Soma is the founder and director of Wolobougou, a clinic in the village of Farakoba, Burkina Faso. The name means “place of compassionate birth” — and the staff at the clinic embody that mission. Soma and her team provide a space for women to give birth in addition to ensuring women receive essential medical care and a healthy dose of empowerment, in a patriarchal society where female genital mutilation remains common.

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