Deadline: January 31, 2026
Applications are open for the WomenLift Health x WILAN Midwifery Leadership Journey 2026. WomenLift Health, in partnership with the Women in Leadership Advancement Network (WILAN), is launching a 12-month Midwifery Leadership Journey to strengthen the leadership capacity and networks of mid- to senior-career women advancing midwifery and maternal and newborn health (MNH) across Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, and Burkina Faso.
The Journey will convene leaders from clinical care, education, regulation, policy, research, and innovation to connect, lead, and drive change for respectful, high-quality care for mothers and newborns. Midwifery women leaders will enhance leadership competencies, gain from coaching, peer learning, and opportunities to champion high-impact MNH innovations and become change agents for better health care for mothers and newborns.
In this fully funded, 12-month Midwifery Leadership Journey, they provide mid- to senior-career women advancing midwifery and maternal and newborn health with a safe space to explore their authentic leadership through vulnerability and reflection; an inclusive, cross-country network that fosters a strong sense of belonging; and tools and strategies to strengthen their voice, presence, and influence—all while being supported by a powerful group of peers, advisors, and coaches.
Program Details
The Midwifery Journey will be a transformational learning and development experience that brings together women leaders from clinical care, education, regulation, policy, research, and innovation who are working to improve respectful, high-quality care for mothers and newborns. It is aimed at creating the mindset shift needed to address the complex, interlinked challenges facing midwifery and MNH systems today. This Journey is aimed at creating the mindset shift needed to solve complex challenges that we face in midwifery and maternal and newborn health today.
This Journey will impart contextualized tools and frameworks to address the individual, organizational, and societal barriers that midwifery leaders face—from gaining influence in decision-making spaces to driving change within institutions, and health systems. Participants engage in two in-person experiential learning residencies (Immersion and Lift-Off), in addition to virtual learning touchpoints, virtual group mentoring, virtual one-on-one coaching sessions, and importantly, a self-directed Midwifery leadership project.
Upon completion of the Leadership Journey, participants will become “Global Fellows”, who will be part of a lifelong network of allies at local, regional, and global levels who continue to support each other and new cohorts with their time, talent, and treasure, and to advocate for women’s leadership.
Cost
- The program is free (all program costs, including travel and lodging, are covered).
Eligibility
- Identify as a woman
- Are Mid to Senior Career Leader: has 10-25 years of work experience
- Are a citizen who resides and works within the following 4 countries: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria.
- Participants must possess strong written and verbal English skills that go beyond basic or technical communication. This includes the ability to articulate emotions, participate in reflective dialogue, engage in complex interpersonal conversations, and integrate leadership development concepts throughout the Journey.
- Notes / guardrails:
- This is a leadership program (not clinical skills training).
- They aim for disciplinary and geographic diversity across the cohort; inclusion of midwifery allies is to advance research and practice.
- Non-midwife applicants are welcome if their role materially elevates midwifery practice
- Primary portfolio advances midwifery and MNH, demonstrated through one or more roles below (public, private, academia, philanthropy, NGO/nonprofit, or multilateral):
- Clinical & service delivery: Registered midwives (active license), nurse-midwives, ob-gyns, pediatricians/neonatologists, senior nursing leaders; service line, hospital, or network managers (public or private).
- Education & workforce: Deans/faculty of midwifery/nursing schools; pre-/in-service training directors; CPD/curriculum leads; simulation/skills-lab leaders.
- Regulation & professional bodies: Midwifery/nursing councils, accreditation/standards agencies, professional associations.
- Policy, programs & systems: Government MNH leads; NGO/INGO program directors; quality-of-care & respectful maternity care leads; data/monitoring & evaluation heads.
- Financing & payers: Health insurers/HMOs, purchasers, reimbursement/benefits design leads; payment reform or value-based care for maternity/newborn services.
- Private sector & delivery networks: Private hospital groups, clinic chains, and provider networks managing maternity/newborn services at scale.
- Innovation, products & supply: Med-tech, diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, oxygen/supplies, and last-mile logistics leaders bringing MNH tools to practice.
- Digital health & social enterprise: Telehealth, decision-support, workforce platforms, registries—product or implementation leaders focused on MNH.
- Philanthropy, CSR & investment: Program officers, portfolio leads, CSR heads, and impact investors allocating capital to midwifery/MNH outcomes.
- Research & evidence translation: Investigators and implementation scientists moving evidence into policy/practice.
Application
The 2026 Midwifery Journey will take place from May 2026- April 2027. Before applying, check the dates and timing of the sessions to ensure that you would be able to attend all touchpoints. All touchpoints are mandatory to attend while the JourneyPLUS events are optional. The in-person residences involving travel include the 4-day Immersion (27-30 July, 2026) and the 2-day Lift-Off (4-5 May, 2027).
For more information, visit Midwifery Leadership Journey.
